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The    Colonial    Parson 


OF 


New  England 


(picture 


BY 

FRANK  SAMUEL  QHILD 

Author  of  "  An  Old  New  England  Town  " 


NEW  YORK 
THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  CO. 


COPYRIGHT,  1896^ 

BY 
FRANK  SAMUEL  CHILD. 


TO 

THE  DESCENDANTS 
OF 

OUR  COLONIAL   PARSONS 

THE  NOBLE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  OF  TO-DAY 

WHO  TRANSMIT  THE   SPIRIT  AND 

MAGNIFY  THE   POWER 

PECULIAR  TO 

THEIR  ILLUSTRIOUS  ANCESTORS 


101949 


CONTENTS 


PAGE, 

PARSONS  AND  PARSONS, n 

BOYHOOD  AND  ORDINATION,  .        .        .        .45 

THE  AGRICULTURAL  PARSON,         .        .        .        .59 
THE  POLITICAL  .?4nsoN,        ,  •        •     73 

THE  LITERARY  PARSON,         »        .        .        .        .91 
THE  PARSON  AS  A  SCHOLAR,         ....  105 

THE  PARSON  AS  A  PREACHER 121 

THE  PARSON  AS  A  MAN, 139 

THE  PARSON  AS  AN  ANCESTOR 159 

THE  COMPOSITE  PARSON, 199 


FORE-WORD. 

THE  author  expresses  his  thanks  to  various 
writers  who  have  contributed  to  the  litera 
ture  of  this  subject.  He  owes  them  a  large 
debt. 

Biographical  sketches  of  the  New  Eng 
land  ministers  are  numerous.  They  appear 
in  books  like  Mather's  "  Magnalia"  and 
Sprague's  "Annals  of  the  American  Pul 
pit,"  or  in  separate  works  like  the  "Life  of 
Brainerd"  and  the  "Life  of  Edwards." 
Col.  T.  W.  Higginson,  Mrs.  Alice  Morse 
Earle,  Mr.  William  Root  Bliss  (three  indi 
viduals  to  whom  the  author  is  under  special 
obligations)  have  written  delightful  chap 
ters  upon  the  parson. 

The  task  of  gleaning  from  original 
sources,  as  well  as  from  the  later  writings, 


io  Fore-word. 


has  been  an  agreeable  one.  Many  of  the  in 
cidents  woven  into  this  characterization  of 
the  parson  are  necessarily  familiar  to  readers 
of  our  history.  But  when  these  illustrations 
seem  hackneyed,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  they  are  used  because  they  are  believed 
to  throw  light  upon  the  subject,  irrespective 
of  their  freshness  or  currency. 

A  great  many  names  and  anecdotes  that 
might  profitably  have  been  wrought  into 
the  picture  will  occur  to  the  reader.  Their 
omission  may  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
the  author  has  sought  to  make  his  statement 
of  the  case  as  brief  and  compact  as  the  cir 
cumstances  permitted. 

FAIRFIELD,  CONN,,  Sept,  ist,  1896. 


THE  COLONIAL  PARSON 
OF 

NEW  ENGLAND 


PARSONS  AND   PARSONS. 

IT  is  Mr.  Barrie,  writing  "  The  Little  Min 
ister,"  who  says:  "In  these  days  the  first 
question  asked  of  a  child  was  not,  'Tell  me 
your  name, '  but  'What  are  you  to  be?'  And 
one  child  in  every  family  replied,  'A  minis 
ter.  '  "  While  the  parson  has  generally  been 
well  esteemed,  and  Scotland  has  done  him 
especial  honor,  yet  it  is  our  own  land  that 
has  afforded  him  the  broad  field  for  achieve 
ment. 

It  was  a  commercial  impulse  which  led  to 
the  settlement  of  New  Amsterdam  by  the 
THE  Dutch.  But  religion  had  share 

DUTCH 

DOMINIE  in  the  enterprise.  These  honest, 
prudent,  adventurous  traders  inherited  the 
spirit  dominant  in  the  Fatherland.  They 

had  fought  with  sublime  fidelity  in  behalf  of 
13 


14  The  Colonial  Parson 

religious  liberty  and  civil  independence. 
They  measured  the  joy,  they  counted  the 
cost,  of  a  Christian  home.  So  when  they 
came  to  America  they  brought  their  religion 
with  them.  It  was  not  long  ere  the  little 
colony  on  Manhattan  Island  had  a  church 
and  a  school. 

The  dominie  was  an  important  personage 
in  the  home  country.  He  was  the  occasion 
of  not  a  little  martial  energy  and  achieve 
ment  among  his  people.  When  he  sailed 
across  the  sea,  it  was  to  fill  the  same  office 
in  the  new  land  that  had  been  consecrated 
by  his  zeal  and  wisdom  in  the  old.  Dominie 
Megapolensis  was  a  man  of  intelligence 
and  character.  The  Dutch  were  good  schol 
ars.  They  mixed  with  their  book  learning 
a  fair  proportion  of  experimental  knowledge 
gleaned  in  garden,  field,  and  street.  We 
may  therefore  credit  the  statement  that  the 
dominies  were  wise  counsellors  in  secular 


of  New  England  15 

affairs  as  well  as  in  sacred.  No  sooner  were 
they  settled  and  the  broad  field  of  pioneer 
opportunity  spread  before  them,  than  they 
proceeded  to  make  themselves  felt  in  the 
various  departments  of  the  New  World 
activity. 

It  is  to  be  taken  as  a  matter  of  course 
that  they  attended  strictly  to  their  church 
tasks.  Organization,  missionary  service, 
various  institutions  connected  with  religion, 
these  all  received  proper  attention.  The 
schools  also  became  a  common  object  for 
their  watchfulness  and  direction.  It  was 
accepted  without  argument  that  the  chil 
dren  must  be  trained  into  intelligent  citi 
zenship.  Success  in  trade  demanded  a  fair 
degree  of  help  from  books.  So  the  school 
flourished. 

But  the  general  affairs  of  the  colony  in 
terested  the  dominie.  And  he  was  not 
afraid  to  preach  about  them  or  to  discuss 


1 6          The  Colonial  Parson 

them  on  the  street  and  in  the  tavern. 
Dominie  Bogardus  observed  certain  disrep 
utable  tendencies  on  the  part  of  some  mem 
bers  in  his  church.  "What  are  the  great 
men  of  the  country  but  vessels  of  wrath 
and  fountains  of  woe  and  trouble?"  he  said, 
one  day,  in  his  sermon.  "They  think  of 
nothing  but  to  plunder  the  property  of  oth 
ers,  to  dismiss,  to  banish,  to  transport  to 
Holland."  Such  plainness  of  speech  did 
not  pass  unnoted.  A  state  of  worldliness 
that  occasioned  an  onset  of  this  kind  from 
the  pulpit  was  quite  sure  to  answer  back 
without  fear  or  favor.  Some  of  the  breth 
ren  stayed  away  from  church,  others  said 
the  dominie  was  drunk,  while  a  third  party 
had  the  drums  beat  and  the  cannon  fired 
during  divine  service. 

It  was  not  strange  that  a  charge  of  intoxi 
cation  was  preferred.  For  the  times  were 
sorry,  indeed,  when  it  came  to  questions  of 


of  New  England  17 

liquor  consumption.  According  to  Stuyve- 
sant,  "Almost  one  full  fourth  part  of  the 
town  of  New  Amsterdam"  was  devoted  to 
"  houses  for  the  sale  of  brandy,  tobacco,  and 
beer."  And  these  people  dearly  loved  to 
meet  in  the  tavern,  Rip-Van- Winkle-like, 
and  hold  the  sweet  converse  of  smoke-blue, 
dram-spiced  fellowship.  Irving  has  immor 
talized  these  characteristic  scenes  and  con 
ditions.  But  the  dominies,  while  they  were 
willing  to  share  a  pipe  and  bowl  and  partici 
pate  with  moderation  in  the  good  cheer  of 
social  life,  still  felt  compelled  to  raise  their 
voices  against  the  popular  forms  of  dissipa 
tion  and  call  a  halt  to  the  vice  which  rioted 
through  the  colony. 

While  we  think  of  them  as  lovers  of  free 
speech  and  champions  of  freedom  of  worship, 
it  is  but  just  to  remind  the  reader  that  the 
Dutch  did  not  like  other  doctrine  in  the  New 
Netherlands  than  "the  True  Reformed." 

2 


i.8          The  Colonial  Parson 

At  one  time  a  proclamation  was  issued,  for 
bidding  "  preachers  not  called  by  ecclesiasti 
cal  or  temporal  authority  to  hold  meeting." 
The  penalty  for  disobedience  was  one  hun 
dred  pounds.  And  there  was  trouble  for 
certain  obnoxious  sects,  which  shows  that 
even  the  Dutch  failed  to  live  up  "to  their 
lights."  Nevertheless,  these  old  domi 
nies,  like  Megapolensis,  Backerus,  Drisius, 
Schaats,  Polhemus,  Selyns,  are  an  interest 
ing  company  of  men.  Their  knowledge, 
manhood,  service,  rendered  them  conspicu 
ous  in  the  colony.  Dominie  Jonas  Michael- 
ius,  the  first  minister  of  the  church  in  New 
Amsterdam,  wrote:  "I  keep  myself  as  far 
as  practicable  within  the  pale  of  my  calling, 
wherein  I  find  myself  sufficiently  occupied. " 
But  his  successors  broadened  their  offices 
and  shared  generously  in  all  the  affairs  of 
the  colony. 

Selyns  was  even  considered  something  of 


of  New  England  19 

a  poet.  The  quality  of  his  verse  may  be 
judged  from  certain  lines  on  "  Scolding 
Wives  and  the  Third-Day  Ague" : 

"Among  the  greatest  plagues,  one  is  the  third-day 

ague; 

But  cross  and  scolding  wives  the  greatest  evil  are. 
With  strong  and  prayerful  minds  the  first  will  cease 

to  plague  you, 

But  for  the  last  I  know  not  what  advice  to  dare 
Except  with  patience  all  to  suffer, 
And  ne'er  the  first  assault  to  proffer." 

The  early  settlers  of  Virginia  and  the 
contiguous  territory  were  gentlemen.  They 
THE  naturally  brought  with  them  the 

VIRGINIA 

CLERGYMAN  English  clergyman.  It  was  a 
free,  untrammelled  life  which  featured  the 
colony.  Thackeray  has  made  a  rough  sketch 
of  it  in  the  first  part  of  "The  Virginians." 
But  that  which  particularly  interests  us  is 
the  "setting  out"  which  he  gives  to  the 
gentlemen  "  of  the  cloth. " 


20          The  Colonial  Parson 

"  The  habits  and  preaching  of  the  Estab 
lished  clergy  were  not  very  edifying/'  the 
novelist  observes.  "The  clergymen  were 
paid  by  the  state  and  had  glebes  allotted  to 
them ;  and  there  being  no  Church  of  Eng 
land  bishop  as  yet  in  America,  the  colonists 
were  obliged  to  import  their  divines  from 
the  mother-country.  Such  as  came  were 
not  naturally  of  the  best  or  most  eloquent 
kind  of  pastors.  Noblemen's  hangers-on, 
insolvent  parsons  who  had  quarrelled  with 
justice  or  the  bailiff,  brought  their  stained 
cassocks  into  the  colony  in  hopes  of  finding 
a  living  there. " 

And  Thackeray  gives  point  to  his  obser 
vations  by  creating  the  character  of  Mr. 
Ward,  chaplain  and  tutor  in  the  family  of 
the  Virginians.  Ward  was  a  loud  talker,  a 
poor  scholar,  a  dull  fellow,  a  subtle  flatterer, 
a  shallow  sycophant.  And  when  George 
Warrington  wanted  to  fight  with  him,  it  be- 


of  New  England  21 

came  evident  that  Chaplain  Ward  was  no 
gentleman. 

Such  a  presentment  prejudices  one  against 
the  class  named.  We  have  something  of 
the  feeling  peculiar  to  the  Colonel,  a  "  sus 
picion  of  all  cassocks."  And  yet  truth  com 
pels  us  to  confess  the  injustice  of  such  an 
opinion  or  the  lack  of  charity  in  such  a  feel 
ing.  The  gentlemen  who  settled  the  South 
land  imparted  character  to  their  religion. 
While  they  did  not  profess  any  surplus  of 
piety,  they  showed  that  with  all  their  indul 
gence,  carelessness,  freedom,  love  of  sport, 
and  sociability,  they  were  still  men  of  pro 
nounced  convictions  upon  the  subject  of  re 
ligion,  and  their  clergymen  did  very  good 
service  in  their  matter-of-fact  and  conven 
tional  way. 

There  was  a  Puritan  flavor  to  portions  of 
the  colonial  legislation  which  strikes  us  with 
surprise.  Magistrates  were  instructed  to 


22          The  Colonial  Parson 

enforce  attendance  upon  church  services,  a 
fine  of  one  hundred  hogsheads  of  tobacco 
being  imposed  for  the  first  breach  of  this 
law,  and  severer  fines  for  later  contu 
macy.  Such  a  condition  was  in  part  the 
result  of  good  service  on  the  part  of  the 
clergy. 

There  was  a  scarcity  of  parsons  in  the 
South,  quite  in  contrast  to  the  abundance  of 
the  same  class  in  New  England.  And 
when  ministers  came  to  these  vast  Southern 
parishes,  they  soon  were  infected  by  a 
certain  indolence  native  to  the  climate. 
As  a  consequence,  the  "Church"  did  not 
thrive  to  any  marked  degree.  Education 
was  sadly  neglected.  The  select  and 
favored  minority  enjoyed  the  ample  life, 
but  the  neglected  and  poverty-stricken 
majority  did  not  rise  to  any  high  plane  of 
living. 

Religion  became  affected  with  the  scepti- 


of  New  England  23 

cism  peculiar  to  England  and  her  colonies. 
It  resulted  that  the  clergymen  grew  indiffer 
ent  to  a  degree  in  the  discharge  of  their  du 
ties.  The  law  compelled  them  to  preach  in 
the  forenoon  and  catechize  in  the  afternoon. 
They  were  also  ordered  "  not  to  give  them 
selves  to  excess  in  drinking,  or  riot,  play 
ing  at  dice,  cards,  or  any  unlawful  game; 
but  at  all  times  convenient  hear  or  read 
somewhat  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  always 
doing  the  things  which  shall  appertain  to 
honesty. " 

We  infer  that  these  companionable  and 
susceptible  brethren  yielded  to  the  seduc 
tions  of  their  parishioners,  and  gave  way 
freely  to  the  tide  of  worldliness  that  threat 
ened  to  flood  all  society  at  this  period.  At 
the  same  time,  it  will  not  do  for  us  to  sin 
gle  out  the  clergy  of  the  South  and  stamp 
them  alone  with  these  objectionable  char 
acteristics. 


24          Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

"The  times"  had  more  or  less  to  do  with 
the  state  of  things  in  the  ranks  of  the 
ministry.  We  are  told  how  one  Virginian 
clergyman  became  so  angry  with  his 
vestry  that  he  pulled  off  a  vestryman's 
wig,  and  then  preached  the  following  Sun 
day  on  the  text,  "And  I  contended  with 
them,  and  cursed  them,  and  smote  cer 
tain  of  them,  and  plucked  off  their 
hair."  But  the  incident  is  paralleled  by 
more  than  one  show  of  temper  among  the 
Dutch  dominies  and  the  New  England 
ministers. 

Take  them  all  in  all,  and  we  must  con 
clude  that  the  English  clergymen  in  Amer 
ica  proved  themselves  useful,  worthy,  im 
portant,  acceptable.  They  did  not  share  in 
public  life  to  the  extent  that  the  brethren  of 
the  profession  did  in  the  North.  Conditions 
were  such  that  their  functions  were  re 
stricted  to  the  tasks  which  centred  in  the 


of  New  England  25 

church.  They  were  not  averse  to  politics, 
but  the  opportunities  did  not  come  to  them. 
The  gentlemen  laity  kept  matters  under 
their  own  control.  The  clergy  were  es 
teemed  in  proportion  as  they  minded  their 
own  business  and  contributed  to  the  social 
life  of  the  community. 

The  Dutch  dominie,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  an  individual  who  gave  himself  to 
many  tasks.  His  opinion  in  trade  was  not 
considered  a  thing  to  be  ignored.  He  was 
a  careful  student  and  kept  himself  abreast 
of  the  times  in  scholarship.  He  preached 
politics  on  such  occasions  as  suited  his 
fancy.  He  was  agreeable  company  and 
men  sought  his  fellowship.  Yet,  while  his 
part  was  more  conspicuous  than  that  of  the 
English  clergyman  in  the  South,  he  failed 
to  make  the  impression  upon  his  people 
which  was  made  by  his  clerical  brethren  in 
New  England. 


26          The  Colonial  Parson 


The  parson  has  not  been  especially  con- 
THE  spicuous   as  a  figure  among  the 

PARSON 

IN  literary  creations  of  our  writers. 

AMERICAN 

LITERATURE    *et   "•&    makes  various    appear 
ances.     There  is  Longfellow's — 


"  Theologian,  from  the  school 
Of  Cambridge  on  the  Charles, 
Skilful  alike  with  tongue  and  pen, 
He  preached  to  all  men  everywhere 
The  gospel  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
The  New  Commandment  given  to  men, 
Thinking  the  deed  and  not  the  creed 
Would  help  us  in  our  utmost  need. 
With  reverent  feet  the  earth  he  trod, 
Nor  banished  nature  from  his  plan, 
But  studied  still  with  deep  research 
To  build  the  Universal  Church. 
Lofty  as  is  the  love  of  God, 
And  ample  as  the  wants  of  man." 

Perhaps  the  work  which  first  suggests  it 
self  in  this  connection  is  Hawthorne's 
"Scarlet  Letter."  Arthur  Dimmesdale  is 
representative  of  none  but  himself.  There 


of  New  England  27 

is  never  a  suggestion  that  the  sin  of  this 
struggling  and  condemned  soul  means  a 
taint  common  to  the  Puritan  ministers. 
Hawthorne  made  no  attempt  to  draw  a  man 
who  was  typical  of  a  class.  The  portrait  is 
tragically  individual.  Yet  this  introspec 
tive,  deeply  sensitive,  highly  susceptible 
man  impresses  one  with  the  fact  that  the 
bias  and  training  peculiar  to  New  England 
belong  to  him.  There  is  so  much  in  Arthur 
Dimmesdale  (aside  from  his  loss  of  virtue) 
which  belongs  distinctively  to  his  environ 
ment,  that  he  comes  to  be  acknowledged  as 
in  one  sense  an  expression  of  the  life  which 
featured  his  day  and  his  class.  As  a  conse 
quence,  his  crime,  casting  its  hideous  shad 
ow  upon  the  picture,  becomes  an  element  in 
the  prevalent  conception  of  the  colonial  par 
son.  The  impression  is  made  that  these 
men  were  "no  better  than  they  should  be," 
a  current  phrase  applied  with  a  certain  curl 


28          The  Colonial  Parson 

of  the  lip  and  a  suggestive  intonation  of  the 
voice.  Not  that  any  crime  is  imputed  to 
them.  Simply  that  they  were  not  the  high- 
minded,  noble-spirited  individuals  we  have 
been  taught  to  believe  them.  "  The  Scarlet 
Letter"  has,  therefore,  wrought  to  the  detri 
ment  of  truth  and  the  perversion  of  fact  to 
this  extent.  While  it  is  the  work  of  genius, 
it  is  a  work  in  which  genius  has  uncon 
sciously  or  unintentionally  contributed  to 
the  dissemination  of  erroneous  opinions. 
We  do  gather  vivid  and  lasting  impressions 
of  the  ministerial  character  peculiar  to  the 
early  days  of  New  England  while  we  read 
"The  Scarlet  Letter,"  but  these  impres 
sions  are  not  favorable  to  the  class  which 
now  commands  our  consideration. 

"  The  Minister's  "Wooing,"  by  Mrs.  Stowe, 
stands  first  in  this  service  of  literary  revela 
tion  or  photography.  Dr.  Hopkins  is  quite 
as  much  an  historic  study  as  he  is  the  off- 


of  New  England  29 

spring  of  a  sympathetic  imagination.  "  The 
doctor  was  a  philosopher,  a  metaphysician, 
a  philanthropist,  and  in  the  highest  and 
most  earnest  sense  a  minister  of  good  on 
earth.  .  .  .  His  early  training  had  been  all 
logical,  not  in  the  least  aesthetic.  .  .  .  The 
gospel  he  was  preaching  constantly,  by  his 
pure,  unworldly  living,  by  his  visitations  to 
homes  of  poverty  and  sorrow,  by  his  search 
ing  out  of  the  lowly  African  slaves,  his 
teaching  of  those  whom  no  one  else  in  those 
days  had  thought  of  teaching,  and  by  the 
grand  humanity,  outrunning  his  age,  in 
which  he  protested  against  the  then-ad 
mitted  system  of  slavery  and  the  slave- 
trade.  .  .  .  Whoever  looked  on  the  fore 
head  of  the  good  doctor  must  have  seen  the 
squareness  of  ideality  giving  marked  effect 
to  its  outline.  As  yet,  ideality  had  dealt 
only  with  the  intellectual  and  invisible, 
leading  to  subtle  refinements  of  argument 


30          Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

and  exalted  ideas  of  morals.  But  there  was 
lying  in  him,  crude  and  unworked,  a  whole 
mine  of  those  artistic  feelings  and  percep 
tions  which  are  awakened  and  developed 
only  by  the  touch  of  beauty. " 

Now  this  is  fine.  It  is  true.  The  whole 
setting-forth  of  this  preacher  of  righteous 
ness  is  the  work  of  a  master.  But  Dr. 
Hopkins  is  the  representative  of  a  few 
marked  characteristics.  There  were  par 
sons  that  answered  to  his  description.  But 
when  we  think  upon  the  one-sidedness  of 
the  good  man,  his  strange  ignorance  of  life, 
his  weakness  in  face  of  prosaic  difficulties, 
the  utter  abandonment  of  mind  to  deep 
problems  so  that  nature  was  altogether  ig 
nored,  we  reach  the  conclusion  that  he  fails 
us  in  our  search  for  the  typical  parson  of 
early  New  England.  He  swings  as  far  to 
one  extreme  as  does  Arthur  Dimmesdale  to 
another  extreme.  While  Dr.  Hopkins  car- 


of  New  England  31 

ries  with  him  a  large  amount  of  flesh  and 
blood,  he  seems  so  nearly  unconscious  of  it 
that  we  are  forced  to  question  the  reality  of 
his  existence.  A  deep  impression  is  made 
Upon  the  reader;  but  we  demand  a  larger 
manhood,  a  broader  nature,  a  richer  sympa 
thy,  a  keener  insight.  We  are  seeking  that 
sort  of  parson  who  voices  universal  desires, 
emotions,  experiences.  Dr.  Hopkins  teaches 
us  to  think  upon  the  parson  as  a  man  consti 
tuting  a  third  class,  set  apart  to  pursuits 
and  associations  altogether  spiritual.  This 
conception  fails  to  square  with  the  facts  in 
the  case. 

"A  Singular  Life,"  by  Elizabeth  Stuart 
Phelps,  is  a  book  which  presents  one  por 
trait  drawn  with  a  marked  insight,  vigor, 
fidelity.  For  the  character  of  Bayard  ap 
proves  itself  not  only  to  the  high  standard 
of  taste,  but  likewise  to  our  moral  instincts. 
He  is  the  sort  of  individual  that  we  feel  is 


32  The  Colonial  Parson 

called  of  God  to  serve  in  the  ministry.  The 
matter  of  theology  will  occasion  considera 
ble  diversity  of  opinion;  but  in  respect  to 
the  important  matter  of  soul,  affection, 
character,  he  commends  himself  as  the  ideal 
parson.  He  is  a  man,  and  manhood  is  a 
prime  requisite  for  the  noblest  efficiency  in 
a  parson. 

It  is  not  only  pleasant  to  have  an  author 
emphasize  this  fact  in  a  beautiful  character, 
but  it  is  a  stroke  of  genius  to  impress  upon 
the  reader  that  such  holy  ideal  of  service  is 
cherished  by  the  fraternity.  For  whatever 
may  be  said  in  respect  to  clerical  shortcom 
ings  and  delinquencies,  it  still  remains  true 
that  men  push  with  fervent  eagerness  to 
ward  this  exalted  conception  of  ministerial 
worth.  And  literature  appears  deficient  in 
giving  the  parson  credit  for  this  great,  in 
spiring  ideal. 

"  Bayard  stood  bareheaded  in  the  color  of 


of  New  England  33 

the  red  sun. "  They  were  holding  a  beach 
service,  just  on  the  borders  of  the  waning 
day.  "  He  was  pale,  notwithstanding  the 
warmth  of  the  evening,  and  had  a  look  so 
worn  that  those  who  loved  him  most  felt 
unspoken  fear  like  the  grip  of  a  hand  at 
their  hearts.  .  .  .  Was  it  magic  or  was  it 
miracle?  Was  it  holiness  or  eloquence? 
Did  he  speak  with  the  tongue  of  man  or  an 
gel?  Where  was  the  secret?  What  was  the 
charm?  .  .  .  Bayard's  manner  was  quiet, 
finished,  and  persuasive;  it  must  have  ap 
pealed  to  the  most  fastidious  oratorical 
taste;  any  instructor  in  homiletics  might 
have  seen  in  it  a  remarkable  illustration  of 
the  power  of  consecrated  education  over  ig 
norance  and  vice.  ...  It  would  be  difficult 
to  say  what  it  was  in  Emanuel  Bayard  that 
most  attracted  them :  whether  his  sincerity 
or  his  intellect,  his  spirituality  or  his  manli 
ness;  or  that  mystical  charm  which  comes 


34          The  Colonial  Parson 

not  of  striving,  or  of  prayer,  or  of  education, 
the  power  of  an  elect  personality.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  nearer  the  truth  to  say  that  the 
fishermen  loved  him  because  he  loved 
them." 

And  as  this  great  soul  moves  on  to  the 
tragic  end,  what  homage  to  the  "Christ- 
man"  and  his  brother  workmen  do  we  pay? 

Mr.  Aldrich's  "  Parson  Hawkins"  and  the 
"Dr.  Johns"  of  Donald  G.  Mitchell  are  ex 
cellent  contributions  to  this  literature  of 
parson  life.  There  are  many  traits  of  Puri 
tan  character  reflected  in  them.  We  are 
constrained  to  think  that  men  of  such  spirit 
did  notable  service  for  their  people  and  the 
world. 

Without  naming  further  examples  of  the 
parson  in  fiction,  it  seems  &  propos  to  ob 
serve  that  American  writers  generally  show 
a  finer  appreciation  of  his  work  and  man 
hood  than  English. 


of  New  England  35 

But  the  parson  seems  to  hold  a  quite  sub 
ordinate  place  as  a  literary  creation.  Is  it 
because  historians  often  fail  to  give  him 
credit  for  his  active,  fruitful  services? 

There  are  numerous  general  acknowledg 
ments  of  his  eminence  and  leadership ;  but 
THE  too  seldom  do  writers  enter  upon 

PARSON 

IN  details.     Prof essor  Park,  in  "  In- 

AMERICAN 

HISTORY  debtedness  of  the  State  to  the 
Clergy,"  observes  that  the  name  of  a  pastor 
is  seldom  mentioned  by  an  historian.  He 
also  quotes  a  remark  of  Dr.  Channing,  that 
history  "  has  not  a  place  even  in  the  margin 
for  the  minister  and  the  school-mistress. " 

The  parson  is  one  who  has  had  to  do  with 
the  inner  life  and  the  immediate  experiences 
of  his  people.  Not  the  less  on  that  account, 
however,  has  he  been  a  tremendous  influ 
ence  and  a  vital  factor  in  all  the  events  of 
his  day.  While  there  are  writers  who  con 
tend  that  the  parson  in  New  England  made 


36          The  Colonial  Parson 

himself  offensively  predominant,  yet  we  be 
lieve  that  such  writers  misinterpret  history. 
He  was  "  the  power  behind  the  throne"  on 
many  of  the  great  occasions.  It  was  not 
modesty  so  much  as  expediency  that  held 
him  in  reserve.  He  was  at  one  time  some 
what  like  Savonarola  at  Florence,  a  sort  of 
dictator.  But  he  was  wiser  than  the  Floren 
tine  leader.  The  parson  kept  himself  dis 
creetly  in  the  background;  shaped  affairs 
through  his  heedful  servants,  the  magis 
trates  ;  did  not  obtrude  his  interference  in 
state  matters;  taught,  inspired,  moved,  di 
rected  the  state  at  the  same  time  that  he 
was  simply  identified  by  the  popular  mind 
with  the  church  and  religion.  Ministers 
refused  on  occasions  without  number  to  go 
into  the  active  conduct  of  political  affairs. 

There  were  instances  when  the  parson 
yielded  his  sacred  office  and  served  his  col 
ony  in  some  other  capacity.  Jonathan 


of  New  England  37 

Trumbull  was  educated  for  the  ministry,  but 
he  went  into  business  and  then  studied  law. 
Such  cases,  however,  were  exceptions.  The 
parson  was  quite  as  efficient  at  second-hand, 
working  through  the  constituency  which 
was  dominated  by  his  preaching  and  in 
struction.  But  the  fact  of  his  prominence 
is  easily  minimized  by  the  historian  without 
the  slightest  aim  or  thought  to  do  him  in 
justice  or  mis-state  the  case. 

Is  it  not  true,  also,  that  the  colonial  par 
son  of  New  England  does  not  receive  'his 
full  meed  of  praise  and  appreciation,  for  the 
reason  that  the  Puritan  character  itself  is 
misconceived  on  the  part  of  many  writers? 
Mr.  Howells,  in  "The  Minister's  Charge," 
gives  us  Sewall,  a  parson  of  good  spirit  and 
excellent  parts,  a  man  with  whom  we  should 
like  to  make  friends.  Yet  Mr.  Sewall  "  de 
clared  that  he  envied  the  ministers  of  the 
good  old  times,  who  had  only  to  teach  their 


38          The  Colonial  Parson 

people  that  they  would  be  lost  if  they  did 
not  do  right.  It  was  much  simpler  than  to 
make  them  understand  that  they  were  often 
to  be  good  for  reasons  not  immediately  con 
nected  with  their  present  or  future  com 
fort."  It  is  true  that  eternal  punishment 
was  a  favorite  theme  among  the  colonial 
parsons ;  but  the  man  who  thinks  they  nar 
rowed  their  preaching  to  such  themes  or 
kindred  themes,  is  mistaken.  The  variety 
of  topics  treated  and  the  manifold  ways  of 
setting  forth  the  subject  in  hand,  are  assur 
edly  marked  features  of  the  colonial  period. 

A  recent  book,  which  sketches  in  a  bright 
way  the  colonial  parson  under  a  variety  of 
circumstances,  gives  what  might  be  termed 
the  popular  conception  of  the  Puritan  in 
"  good  old  colony  times,  when  we  lived  un 
der  the  king. " 

Palfrey  wrote  that  the  Puritan  stands  for 
the  "manliness  of  England;"  but  this  writer 


of  New  England  39 

observes,  "  It  is  truer  to  say  that  he  repre 
sented  the  obstinate  wilfulness  of  the  Eng_ 
lish  race."  "It  is  well  known,"  he  con 
tinues,  "  that  here  [New  England]  they  be 
came  intolerant  and  unmerciful."  This  is 
accounted  for  "by  the  fact  that  they  were 
disciples  of  John  Calvin."  What  this  writer 
is  pleased  to  call  the  composite  Puritan  is, 
according  to  his  definition,  "  a  peculiar  mix 
ture  of  human  beings."  Middle-class  Eng 
lishmen  that  had  no  representatives  of  art, 
science,  literature,  statesmanship,  or  social 
life;  a  few  merchants  and  lawyers,  with 
yeomen,  mechanics,  servants,  and  idlers; 
"mixed  Huguenots,  Germans,  Scotch  pris 
oners  sent  by  Cromwell,  and  white  slaves 
imported  from  Ireland  to  be  sold;"  and  the 
"abundant  offspring  of  miscegenation  be 
tween  the  Indian  and  the  white  races." 
This  is  termed  the  composite  Puritan. 
The  parson,  of  course,  is  counted  not  only 


40          The  Colonial  Parson 

an  element  in  this  result,  but  the  result  of 
such  elements. 

The  portrait  of  the  minister  is,  therefore, 
not  altogether  pleasing.  One  feels  a  certain 
repugnance  as  he  continues  to  look  upon  the 
picture.  And  the  opinion  seems  to  gain 
currency  that  the  colonial  parson  of  New 
England  was  an  individual  inheriting  nu 
merous  disagreeable  traits  of  character,  liv 
ing  out  his  narrow  ideas  with  rigid  and  un 
compromising  doggedness;  given  over  to 
severe  and  cruel  treatment  of  the  young, 
the  weak,  the  bad,  the  contrary;  shutting 
out  the  sunshine  of  life  from  the  home  and 
the  community;  creating  an  atmosphere  of 
gloom  like  to  the  most  dismal  November 
weather. 

Not  only  has  the  word  "  Puritan"  come  to 
be  associated  in  the  minds  of  many  among 
us  with  repellant  and  objectionable  charac 
teristics,  but  the  Puritan  minister  has  been 


of  New  England  41 

identified  with  about  all  that  was  painful 
and  unhappy  in  the  life  of  our  respected, 
hard  -  pressed,  misinterpreted  ancestors. 
"The  poor  parsons"  is  a  current  phrase. 
Imagination  is  given  the  privilege  of  taking 
the  word  "  poor"  just  as  it  pleases. 

Now  there  are  few  more  interesting  and 
suggestive  characters  in  the  history  of  New 
England.  The  parson  lived  a  life  that  was 
uniquely  conspicuous.  He  wrote  himself 
with  strong,  deep  lines  into  the  conditions 
and  the  events  of  this  land.  "  Who  patient 
is  and  right,  his  day  shall  yet  arise." 
There  never  before  came  to  him  such 
an  opportunity.  And  the  fact  is  wrought 
into  the  tissues  and  fibres  of  our  social 
fabric  that  the  colonial  parson  was  a 
match  for  his  singular  and  pre-eminent 
opportunity. 

The  very  name  applies  with  noteworthy 
fitness.  Parson  is  simply  another  form  of 


42          The  Colonial  Parson 

person.  Parson  was  emphatically  and  ac- 
creditedly  the  person.  Not  in  this  case  be 
cause  he  had  submitted  to  any  prelatical  im 
position  of  hands  and  by  virtue  of  his  office 
was  the  chief  personage  of  the  community ; 
but  the  parson  was  the  person  generally 
speaking,  for  the  reason  that  he  inherently 
stood  for  the  things  of  chief  concern.  He 
was  elected  to  his  position  by  virtue  of  his 
worth  and  fitness. 

Among  the  company  of  emigrants  that 
settled  New  England  during  the  first  twenty 
years,  there  were  seventy-seven  ministers 
and  sixteen  theological  students.  These 
men  were  graduates  of  the  universities,  men 
endowed  with  rare  gifts,  coming  from  hon 
orable  families.  They  represented  the 
worthiest  stock  of  the  mother  country. 
The  percentage  of  this  class  was  so  large 
that  it  occasioned  the  oft-quoted  remark  of 
Cotton,  that  "there  was  nothing  cheap  in 


of  New  England  43 

New  England  but  milk  and  ministers. "  But 
the  large  proportion  of  educated  parsons 
was  a  fortunate  and  important  circumstance 
connected  with  the  settlement  of  our  land. 


THE 

PARSON'S 

BOYHOOD 

AND  ORDINATION 


THE   PARSON'S   BOYHOOD  AND 
ORDINATION. 

"  THE  May-morn  of  his  youth"  is  a  period 
bound  to  be  bright  and  songful.  And  the 
boys  in  the  Puritan  family  enjoyed  their 
peculiar  sports  and  associations.  They 
might  not  have  the  means  of  entertainment 
that  had  been  left  in  Old  England ;  but  they 
had  nature,  wild  beasts,  Indians,  perilous 
times,  love-making,  and  various  other  means 
of  an  active,  interesting  experience. 

Boyhood  under  these  conditions  was  favor 
able  to  merit  and  success.  Home  became  a 
nursery  of  that  which  was  best  and  most 
promiseful  in  character.  The  native  bent  of 
the  boy  was  investigated  with  loving  scru 
tiny.  The  unfolding  personality  was  be 
dewed  with  the  prayers  and  the  influences  of 

47 


48          The  Colonial  Parson 

godly  parents.  And  yet  we  are  not  to  think 
of  these  sons  of  the  colonies  as  puny,  in 
offensive,  effeminate  young  people.  The 
times  were  such  that  rugged  traits  of  char 
acter  abounded.  Pioneer  struggle  fostered 
the  manly  virtues. 

Although  children  were  what  might  be 
termed  the  absolute  property  of  their  par 
ents,  yet  the  exuberant  and  masterful  nature 
was  just  as  common  and  quite  as  difficult 
to  train  as  two  hundred  years  later. 

Joseph  Webb  was  fourteen  years  old  when 
he  entered  Harvard  College.  He  had  been 
reared  near  Boston  and  had  enjoyed  the 
privileges  of  excellent  Christian  nurture. 
Nevertheless  he  was  noisy,  mischievous, 
self-conceited,  and  domineering.  When  he 
reached  the  sophomore  year,  he  abused  the 
freshman  that  did  fag  service  for  him.  The 
result  is  found  in  the  history  of  the  college : 
41  Whereas  great  complaints  have  been  made 


of  New  England  49 

and  proved  against  Joseph  Webb  for  his 
abusive  carriages  in  requiring  some  of  the 
freshmen  to  go  upon  his  private  errands 
and  in  striking  such  freshmen,  and  for  his 
scandalous  negligence  to  those  duties  .  .  . 
he  is  therefore  sentenced  in  the  first  place  to 
be  deprived  of  the  pension  hitherto  allowed 
him,  and  also  to  be  expelled  from  college. " 

No  wonder  that  he  was  brought  to  time 
by  such  a  severe  penalty,  and  that  he  wrote 
the  authorities :  "  I  do,  with  grief  and  sorrow, 
humbly  acknowledge  these  my  great  offences 
and  the  justice  of  your  proceedings  against 
me  for  them,  and  crave  pardon  and  pray  that 
I  may  be  restored  unto  my  former  standing 
in  the  college.'1  This  was  in  1684.  Some 
sixteen  years  later  this  young  man  was  one 
of  ten  ministers  here  in  Connecticut  engaged 
in  the  organization  of  Yale  College. 

It  is  true  that  these  Puritan  youth  were 
reared  with  solemn  strictness.  Nathaniel 

4 


50          The  Colonial  Parson 

Mather  might  whittle  on  the  Sabbath-day 
behind  the  door,  and  then  feel  that  a  "  great 
reproach  of  God"  was  upon  him  for  such 
conduct.  But  "  youth  is  a  continual  intoxi 
cation,"  and  this  spirit  of  lively  satisfaction 
in  growing  powers  and  expanding  opportuni 
ties  cannot  be  repressed. 

"How  beautiful  is  youth,  how  bright  it  gleams 
With  its  illusions,  aspirations,  dreams, 
Book  of  beginnings,  story  without  end, 
Each  maid  a  heroine  and  each  man  a  friend." 

We  must  therefore  discount  the  impres 
sions  which  old  chroniclers  of  our  colonial 
days  make  upon  us.  Youth  will  infuse  its 
own  spirit  of  buoyancy  into  the  routine  of 
life,  and  Cotton  Mather  writes  that  "the 
youth  in  this  country  are  very  sharp  and 
early  ripe  in  their  capacities. " 

We  see,  then,  our  parson  that  is  to  be, 
reared  in  a  Christian  home,  surrounded  by 
healthful  relations,  encouraged  to  share  in 


of  New  England  51 

all  manly  acquirements  and  activities,  gath 
ering  into  his  responsive  personality  the 
streams  of  influence  which  make  for  truth, 
patriotism,  independence,  intellectuality. 

While  the  ministers  that  emigrated  to 
New  England  did  not  have  to  experience  in 
boyhood  the  hardships  and  disciplines  pecul 
iar  to  pioneer  life,  yet  they  were  subjected 
to  restraints  and  instructions  quite  as  varied 
and  fruitful.  The  boyhood  of  such  men  as 
Cotton,  Stone,  Williams,  Hooker,  Daven 
port,  was  a  period  filled  with  striking  and  im 
portant  incidents.  These  men  and  their  fel 
low-ministers  were  blessed  with  a  rare  home 
training.  And  they  enjoyed  the  fine  privi 
leges  of  the  English  universities  in  the  years 
of  ferment  and  transition.  Such  influences 
manifest  themselves  in  the  work  done  by 
these  great  leaders  through  the  later  years. 

But  we  are  not  to  think  that  boyhood  and 
youth  in  New  England  passed  without  its 


52          The  Colonial  Parson 

fair  share  of  characteristic  opportunities.  It 
was  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  country 
that  Harvard  College  was  founded  and  a 
school  cherished  in  order  to  prepare  the 
youth  for  the  important  mission  of  the  par 
son. 

President  Dwight  described  what  he  calls 
"  the  progress  of  every  clergyman  .  .  .  until 
he  arrives  at  the  desk.  .  .  .  From  infancy 
to  manhood  his  whole  character  is  subjected 
to  the  inspection  of  his  parents,  of  his 
school-master,  of  the  parish  in  which  he  is 
born  and  bred,  of  the  government  of  the 
college  in  which  he  is  educated,  of  the 
church  to  which  he  is  united,  and  of  the 
clergyman  by  whom  he  is  instructed  in 
theology." 

It  certainly  was  a  feature  which  had  much 
to  commend  it,  that  the  young  man  was 
placed  in  the  family  of  some  good  minister 
and  there  received  a  training  for  his  work 


of  New  England  53 

that  was  thoroughly  practical.  He  might 
not  get  the  breadth  of  culture  which  charac 
terizes  our  modern  schools  of  divinity,  but 
he  was  enabled  to  get  swiftly  into  the  heart 
of  the  people  and  come  to  an  early  compre 
hension  of  his  great  life  task.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  when  his  studies  were 
completed,  and  then  began  the  peripatetic 
experience  known  as  candidating. 

But  the  event  of  prime  importance  was 
his  ordination.  These  occasions  inter 
ested  the  family  of  the  candidate,  the  parish 
which  he  was  to  serve,  and  the  neighboring 
churches  affiliated  with  his  particular  church. 
The  records  give  us  very  fair  pictures  of 
these  noteworthy  events.  The  young  man 
having  candidated,  the  ecclesiastical  society 
and  the  church-members  unite  in  giving  him 
a  call.  A  letter  of  acceptance  is  written. 
The  day  is  set  for  ordination.  A  council 
assembles  on  the  appointed  occasion. 


54          Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

Neighboring  churches  are  represented  by 
pastor  and  delegates.  The  work  of  exami 
nation  is  first  taken  in  hand.  This  may  con 
sume  an  entire  day.  They  were  thorough 
in  these  matters  some  generations  past.  On 
the  second  day  the  public  services  occur, 
with  the  order  something  as  follows,  accord 
ing  to  the  description  of  Dr.  Dwight:  A 
psalm,  a  prayer,  a  psalm,  a  sermon,  a  conse 
crating  prayer,  a  charge  to  the  minister, 
a  charge  to  the  people,  a  right  hand  of  fel 
lowship,  a  prayer,  a  psalm,  an  evangelical 
blessing. 

These  were  solemn  occasions,  we  know. 
The  diaries  of  various  men  record  the  im 
pressions  made  upon  them  and  the  great 
aspirations  and  purposes  stirred  within 
them.  We  would  not  detract  by  one  word 
from  the  significance  of  these  memorable  ex 
periences.  But  truth  compels  us  to  say  that 
the  ordination  was  considered  a  great  social 


of  New  England  55 

event,  so  that  much  of  its  spiritual  character 
was  obscured  so  far  as  the  general  public 
were  concerned.  It  was  an  occasion  of  gen 
erous  feasting.  Provisions  were  supplied 
with  a  devout  and  loving  amplitude.  The 
hearty  eating  and  the  abundant  talking  ex 
cited  the  thirst  of  hosts  and  guests.  It  must 
not  surprise  one,  therefore,  that  among  the 
bills  run  up  on  these  occasions  was  one 
of  large  proportions  for  drinks.  Cider 
was  always  abundant  and  acceptable. 
It  was  taken  as  a  matter  of  course  that 
one  might  drink  any  amount  of  it.  But 
other  beverages  than  cider  were  fur 
nished.  Here  is  a  bill  for  an  ordination 
in  1785: 
30  Bowles  of  Punch  before  the  People  went 

to  meeting. 

10  Bottles  of  wine  before  they  went  to  meet 
ing. 
44  Bowles  of  Punch  while  at  dinner. 


56          The  Colonial  Parson 

1 8  Bottles  of  wine. 

8  Bowles  of  Brandy. 

Cherry  Rum  (quantity  not  mentioned). 

Now  it  is  manifest  that  when  the  congre 
gation  had  disposed  of  such  an  amount  of 
drink  exclusive  of  cider,  a  certain  measure 
of  free-and-easy  fellowship  must  prevail,  the 
social  instincts  of  young  and  old  would  re 
spond  to  the  favorable  conditions,  and  there 
must  ensue  lively  times.  It  was  quite 
natural  that  the  young  people  should  desire 
to  work  off  the  excitement  of  festivity  by 
such  a  curious  anomaly  as  the  ordination 
ball.  These  frivolous  conclusions  did  not 
always  follow.  There  were  times  not  a  few 
when  the  seriousness  of  the  occasion  per 
vaded  the  people ;  but  we  get  the  impression 
that  at  ordinations  the  social  features  were 
emphasized  to  such  extent  that  people 
learned  to  look  with  gladsome  anticipation 
and  remembrance  upon  the  event  which 


of  New  England  57 

called  them  tog-ether  in  such  delightful  fel 
lowship. 

We  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  use  of 
liquors  was  universal  through  those  days. 
When  the  fathers  met  in  synod  at  Cam 
bridge  in  1648,  there  was  a  liquor  bill  in  con 
nection  with  the  expense  of  the  meeting.  At 
the  ordination  of  Edwin  Jackson  in  Woburn, 
1729,  the  town  paid  for  six  and  one-half 
barrels  of  cider,  twenty-five  gallons  of  wine, 
two  gallons  of  brandy,  four  gallons  of  rum. 
Thomas  Smith  wrote  in  his  diary,  January 
1 6,  1765,  concerning  what  might  be  called 
the  personal  aftermath  of  Samuel  Foxcroft's 
ordination  in  New  Gloucester:  "We  had 
a  pleasant  journey  home.  Mr.  Long 
fellow  was  alert  and  kept  us  all  merry. 
A  jolly  ordination.  We  lost  sight  of  de 
corum."  Such  a  note  in  one  journal  may 
be  matched  by  another  from  the  diary  of 
John  Emerson,  of  Con  way:  "Oct.  2oth. 


58  The  Colonial  Parson 

Put  in  the  cellar  for  winter  use,  38  barrels 
of  cider. " 

Now  it  may  be  well  for  us  to  recall  these 
festive  occasions,  if  for  no  other  purpose,  to 
the  end  that  we  may  feel  how  our  ancestors 
were  not  opposed  to  good-cheer  and  agree 
able  fellowship.  We  deplore  the  excesses 
which  occasionally  get  recorded  in  the  jour 
nals  of  these  men,  at  the  same  time  we  are 
taught  that  a  fair  measure  of  sociability  pre 
vailed. 


THE 
AGRICULTURAL 

PARSON 


THE   AGRICULTURAL   PARSON. 

IT  was  once  the  custom  to  consult  the 
minister  concerning  agricultural  matters. 
Parsonage  land  was  often  given  him  as  a  set 
tlement  gratuity.  This  necessitated  a  famil 
iarity  with  the  soil.  The  parson  to-day  is 
perhaps  the  last  man  in  the  community  that 
would  be  able  to  assist  in  the  tasks  of  farm 
ing,  yet  we  are  convinced  that  his  former 
apprenticeship  to  such  pursuits  was  a  gain  to 
him  rather  than  a  loss ;  not  only  by  way  of 
living  but  also  by  way  of  influence.  Farm 
ing  was  common  to  the  large  portion  of  the 
community.  The  minister  had  much  in 
common  with  the  majority  of  his  parishion 
ers,  therefore,  when  it  came  to  agriculture. 
A  fellow-feeling  was  engendered.  And 
without  doubt  the  health  of  the  minister  was 

61 


62          The  Colonial  Parson 

preserved  to  an  extraordinary  degree  by  his 
contact  with  the  soil. 

There  were  numerous  model  farmers 
among  the  parsons.  Their  reputation  was 
widespread.  Jared  Eliot,  of  Killingly,  was 
one  of  them.  Dr.  Goodrich,  of  Durham,  was 
another.  William  Robinson,  of  Southington, 
was  a  third.  Probably  these  men  would 
have  been  placed  in  the  front  had  the  county 
fair  been  organized  at  the  time.  Certain  it 
is  that  their  opinions  were  considered  worth 
careful  heed,  and  on  many  occasions  these 
brethren  turned  from  the  strain  of  theologi 
cal  warfare  to  the  more  quiet  and  peaceful 
setting  forth  of  ideas  and  experiences  con- 
nected  with  the  breeding  of  cattle,  the  rais 
ing  of  grain,  and  the  culture  of  fruit. 

Such  relief  was  invaluable  to  parson  and 
people.  It  saved  the  parson  from  complete 
absorption  in  the  abstruse  and  disquieting 
questions  of  predestination,  sovereignty, 


of  New  England  63 

hell;  it  saved  the  people  from  the  deeper 
darkness  and  the  more  perplexing  uncertain 
ties  of  too-frequent  and  insistent  preaching 
along  these  lines.  For  the  vigor  of  the 
farmer-preacher  was  apt  to  show  itself  in  his 
sermon  work,  although  at  times  it  showed 
itself  in  quite  unexpected  and  extraordinary 
ways.  Mr.  Morgan,  of  Greenwich,  gravitated 
between  farm  and  pulpit  until  he  finally 
settled  down  permanently  upon  the  farm. 
A  company  of  church-members  was  discuss 
ing  the  comparative  merits  of  their  ministers. 
At  length  one  venerable  deacon  observed: 
"  Wa'll,  our  minister  gives  so  much  attention 
to  his  fajrm  an^/orchard  that  we  get  pretty 

^  ^ 

poor  sermonSjJbut  he  is  mighty  movin*  in 
prayer  m_caterpillar  and  cankerworm  time. " 
This  agricultural  experience  gave  the  par 
son  many  opportunities  to  point  moral  in 
struction;  he  often  gained  a  practical  in 
sight  into  character  that  proved  of  incalcul- 


64          The  Colonial  Parson 

able  benefit  to  him;  he  learned  the 
crookedness  of  the  human  heart;  he  con 
ceived  remedies  and  corrections  that  fre 
quently  served  with  fine  effectiveness. 
One  straight-spoken  minister  was  annoyed 
because  his  neighbors  helped  themselves 
with  unstinted  liberty  to  the  fruits  of  his  ex 
cellent  orchard.  There  came  a  time  when 
he  felt  constrained  to  speak  of  it.  He  there 
fore  gave  notice  from  his  pulpit  that  the 
yellow  sweet  apples  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  his  orchard  would  be  ripe  by  next  Wed 
nesday.  The  individuals  in  the  habit  of 
picking  his  apples  were  requested  to  wait 
until  that  date  ere  they  gathered  them. 
Tradition  has  it  that  such  public  announce 
ment  put  an  end  to  the  unneighborly  busi 
ness. 

It  is  fitting  to  observe  that  the  apple-tree 
was  cultivated  with  uncommon  zeal.  It  was 
not  alone  that  the  fruit  became  an  important 


of  New  England  65 

article  of  diet,  but  it  was  also  that  the  juice 
of  the  fruit  was  squeezed  into  a  popular 
form  of  drink.  This  fact  occasioned  the 
public  gratitude  of  one  simple-minded  and 
business-like  parson,  who  said  in  his  harvest 
prayer:  "We  thank  Thee,  we  thank  Thee, 
also  for  the  many  barrels  of  cider  Thou  hast 
vouchsafed  us,"  a  form  of  thanksgiving 
which  has  been  relegated  to  the  days  of  the 
past. 

Some  years  ago  when  one  of  our  promi 
nent  ministers  retired  from  his  parish,  after 
a  long  period  of  successful  service,  it  was 
currently  reported  that  he  still  had  on  hand 
some  fifty  written  sermons  which  he  had 
never  preached.  It  had  been  his  custom  to 
anticipate  sermon  work  and  keep  a  goodly 
stock  of  carefully  prepared  discourses  for 
various  occasions. 

The  devotion  to  agriculture  which  charac 
terized  one  of  the  colonial  parsons  was 


66          The  Colonial  Parson 

that  he  did  all  his  sermon  work  between 
December  and  April.  Having  completed 
his  one  hundred  discourses  within  the  five 
winter  months,  he  was  free  to  give  his  mind 
unto  the  farm  for  the  rest  of  the  year.  As 
these  were  the  days  when  men  laid  out  large 
schemes  of  divinity  and  frequently  stuck  to 
the  beaten  track  of  theological  discussion  for 
many  months,  it  is  conceivable  that  such  a 
method  might  be  adopted  without  the  rebel 
lion  of  the  parish.  So  far  as  intellectual 
effort  was  concerned,  this  mode  of  procedure 
was  equivalent  to  a  seven  months'  summer 
vacation.  Doubtless  the  good  man  returned 
to  his  sermon  work  in  December  with  the 
same  freshness  and  zeal  which  manifested 
themselves  when  he  plunged  into  agricul 
tural  pursuits  in  May  time. 

These  were  the  days  of  small  things.  The 
salaries,  as  we  observed,  were  meagre,  one 
hundred  pounds  being  considered  a  fair 


of  New  England  67 

stipend.  But  there  were  many  parsons  who 
did  not  receive  even  so  modest  a  sum  as  this, 
so  that  necessity  compelled  them  to  turn  the 
hand  to  secular  pursuits. 

It  was  before  the  days  of  life  insurance, 
therefore  the  parson  did  not  have  that  allur 
ing  and  elastic  sphere  of  usefulness.  He 
might  run  a  mill,  as  did  Samuel  Danforth, 
of  Taunton.  The  real-estate  business  had 
already  suggested  itself  as  a  vocation,  so 
that  he  might  combine  the  transfer  of  houses 
and  lands  with  the  oversight  of  souls,  as  did 
George  Shove,  of  Teucton  (this  parson  was 
likewise  a  husbandman)  ;  but  farming  pre 
sented  the  largest  inducements  and  the  most 
tangible  results. 

In  old  En^land^  the  :  clergyman  rented  his 
landsand  rjceiyed_tithesL  _But  in  NewJEng- 
land^theland  given  to 


erally  land  that  he  cultivated  for  a  living. 
He  did  not  engage  in  gentleman-farming,  a 


68          The  Colonial  Parson 

thing  which  grows  in  popular  favor  to-day. 
He  was  a  practical  laborer.  His  occasional 
writing  upon  the  subject  was  eminently 
serious  and  instructive.  While  the  agricul 
tural  paper  or  the  agricultural  column  of  the 
weekly  journal  did  not  exist,  he  still  contrib 
uted  certain  literary  results. 

Dr.  Jared  Eliot  wrote  "  Essays  upon  Field 
Husbandry  in  New  England,"  and  it  was 
most  excellent  and  suggestive  writing  in  be 
half  of  agriculture.  He  won  enviable  fame 
by  it. 

When  the  father  of  Timothy  Dwight 
suddenly  passed  out  of  life,  a  family  of  thir 
teen  children  was  left  bereaved  and  depend 
ent.  The  young  parson  moved  to  North 
ampton  with  his  mother  and  the  brothers 
and  sisters ;  and  there  he  threw  himself  with 
zeal  into  farming.  Preaching  hither  and 
thither  as  opportunity  came  on  Sundays,  he 
spent  not  a  little  portion  of  the  week  days  in 


of  New  England  69 

the  management  and  cultivation  of  his  land. 
This  service  was  continued  until  the  call  to 
Greenfield  Hill  was  accepted  and  the  family 
removed  with  him  to  that  beautiful  rural 
parish. 

That  such  experience  contributed  to  the 
usefulness  of  the  minister  is  generally  con 
ceded.  We  see  that  it  was  invaluable  to  him 
in  the  matter  of  health.  It  certainly  added 
to  his  income. 

One  faithful  parson  was  severely  handled 
by  his  people  because  he  made  some  eight 
hundred  dollars  by  selling  produce  from  his 
land.  There  were  numerous  examples  of 
generous  and  hospitable  living  which  re 
verted  to  the  honest  and  efficient  labors  of  the 
parson  and  his  family  on  the  farm.  The 
days  of  homespun  gave  the  farmer-parson 
just  as  good  an  opportunity  to  provide  for 
himself  as  it  did  his  neighbor  the  deacon. 

But  it  is  also  to  be  remembered  that  the 


70          The  Colonial  Parson 

minister's  acres  afforded  his  boys  a  fitting 
opportunity  to  expend  their  surplus  energy. 
When  John,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Jeremiah,  and 
the  rest  of  them  felt  the  workings  of  youth 
ful  spirits  within  them,  there  was  nothing 
safer  and  more  profitable  by  way  of  generous 
outlet  than  a  few  days'  hard  work  upon  the 
parsonage  land.  It  did  not  take  a  long  time 
to  reduce  the  riotous  fury  of  boyhood  and 
youth  to  reasonable  and  seemly  bounds  of 
decorum.  Meanwhile  the  parson's  family 
was  becoming  inured  to  work  and  yielding 
the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  in  ways 
eminently  satisfactory  to  parents  and  the 
parish. 

It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  such  familiarity 
with  nature  on  the  part  of  thoughtful  and 
observant  children  had  its  helpful,  refining 
influences.  While  the  Puritan  did  not  have 
the  means  of  culture  common  to  the  mother 
country,  yet  the  lessons  which  are  taught  us 


of  New  England  71 

by  a  beautiful  flora,  a  varied  landscape,  the 
moods  and  passions  of  changeful  nature, 
these  were  all  distributed  with  prodigality. 
They  did  more  and  more  to  nourish  fine 
sentiments  and  develop  good  taste  through 
the  years.  These  results  are  therefore  to 
be  counted  among  the  benefits  of  rural  life 
and  agricultural  pursuits. 

"  Beneath  the  open  sky  abroad. 

Among  the  plants  and  breathing  things, 
The  sinless,  peaceful  works  of  God, 
I'll  share  the  calm  the  season  brings." 

Is  it  too  much  for  us  to  believe  that  such 
associations,  rendered  suggestive  by  ac 
quaintance  with  books  and  scholars,  had 
much  to  do  with  shaping  the  later  character 
and  development  of  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  the  Puritans? 

"That  delicate  forest  flower, 
With  scented  breath  and  look  so  like  a  smile, 
Seems,  as  it  issues  from  the  shapeless  mould, 
An  emanation  of  the  indwelling  Life. 


72  The  Colonial  Parson 

A  visible  token  of  the  upholding  Love 
That  are  the  soul  of  this  wide  universe. 
My  heart  is  awed  within  me  when  I  think 
Of  the  great  miracle  that  still  goes  on 
In  silence  round  me,  the  perpetual  work 
Of  Thy  creation,  finished  yet  renewed 
Forever.     Written  on  Thy  works  I  read 
The  lesson  of  Thy  own  eternity. 

"Be  it  ours  to  meditate 
In  these  calm  shades,  thy  milder  majesty, 
And  to  the  beautiful  order  of  thy  works 
Learn  to  conform  the  order  of  our  lives. " 


THE 

POLITICAL 

PARSON 


THE   POLITICAL  PARSON. 

IT  was  the  natural  course  for  the  minis 
ters  to  pursue — this  taking  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  the  new  country.  The  situation 
in  old  England  had  taught  them  to  have  a 
hand  in  affairs.  The  parson's  interest  in  the 
future  of  his  adopted  land  was  not  less  keen 
than  that  of  any  other  citizen.  He  had 
made  political  matters  a  study  in  connection 
with  things  ecclesiastical.  The  little  state 
on  board  the  Mayflower  became  a  little 
church.  It  was  inevitable  under  the  circum 
stances  that  the  parson  should  exert  control 
ling  influence  in  state  life. 

^M 

It  was  said  of  John  Cotton  "  that  whatever 
he  delivered  in  the  pulpit  was  soon  put  into 
an  order  of  court,  if  of  a  civil,  or  set  up  as  a 

practice  in  church,  if  of  an  ecclesiastical  con- 

75 


76          The  Colonial  Parson 

cernment. "  It  was  in  the  mind  of  the  set 
tlers  to  rear  a  theocracy.  The  Bible  was 
the  one  book  to  which  constant  reference 
was  made.  It  furnished  the  basis  for  law 
and  procedure,  and  the  minister  was  the 
man  best  versed  in  the  Scriptures,  so  that 
constant  reference  was  made  to  him  by  way 
of  help  to  an  understanding  and  application 
of  God's  Word. 

Dr.  Walker  has  illustrated  very  forcibly 
the  importance  of  the  parson  as  a  statesman 
in  his  sketch  of  Thomas  Hooker.  The  letter 
of  Hooker  to  Winthrop  and  the  sermon 
preached  by  Hooker  at  an  adjourned  session, 
probably  of  the  April  court  in  Hartford, 
1638,  witness  to  the  fact  that  he  proposed 
and  outlined  that  system  of  government 
which  has  proved  infinitely  important  to 
this  land  and  the  progress  of  the  world. 

It  was  Hooker  that  saidt  "  The  foundation 
of  authority  is  laid  in  the  free  consent  of  the 


of  New  England  77 

people,"  and  that  "the  choice  of  magistrates 
belongs  unto  the  people  by  God's  own  allow 
ance"  and  that  "they  who  have  power  to  ap 
point  officers  and  magistrates,  have  the  right 
also  to  set  the  bounds  and  limitations  of  the 
power  and  place  unto  which  they  call  them. " 
The  constitution  which  resulted,  observes 
John  Fiske,  was  the  "  first  written  constitu 
tion  known  to  history  that  created  a  govern 
ment,  and  it  marked  the  beginnings  of 
American  democracy,  of  which  Thomas 
Hooker  deserves  more  than  any  other  man 
to  be  called  the  father. "  Such  service  and 
eminence  in  this  domain  of  thought  were 
enough  to  evoke  the  gratitude  of  the  ages 
for  the  New  England  parson. 

It  was  another  minister,  Nathaniel  Ward, 
of  Ipswich,  that  prepared  for  Massachusetts 
"  The  Body  of  Liberties,"  the  earliest  written 
code  of  the  colony,  adopted  by  the  General 
Court  in  1641.  John  Cotton  had  also  been 


78          The  Colonial  Parson 

appointed  by  the  General  Court  in  1636  to 
prepare  a  scheme  of  laws  for  the  govern 
ment  of  the  colony,  but  Ward's  "  Body  of 
Liberties"  was  preferred.  The  Mosaic  code 
was  always  kept  in  mind  by  these  godly 
men,  and  they  endeavored  to  conform  to  it 
in  so  far  as  it  was  practicable. 

It  was  John  Cotton  that  preached  to  the 
deputies  in  1634.  They  were  to  elect  the 
officers  who  were  to  conduct  the  affairs  of 
the  little  state.  What  more  reasonable  than 
that  they  should  seek  the  wisdom  and  guid 
ance  of  the  minister?  He  was  just  as  deeply 
interested  in  the  political  phases  of  their  life 
as  in  the  religious.  Indeed  there  was  no 
distinction  made  between  the  two.  This 
preaching  to  the  deputies  by  John  Cotton 
set  the  fashion  of  election  sermons.  It  soon 
became  the  customary  way  to  assemble  the 
men  who  were  to  attend  upon  this  important 
business  and  give  them  over  to  the  instruc- 


of  New  England  79 

tions  of  the  parson.  On  one  of  these  occa 
sions  it  is  said  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson 
climbed  into  a  tree  and  converted  it  into  a 
pulpit.  From  such  lofty  perch  he  gave  his 
election  message,  and  thus  gained  the  satis 
faction  of  reaching  a  large  and  interested 
throng  of  listeners. 

When  the  Indian  chief,  Miantonomo,  was 
put  in  the  hands  of  our  ancestors  and  the 
question  of  procedure  in  the  case  troubled 
the  men  in  office,  it  was  the  natural  thing 
to  refer  the  matter  to  a  committee  of  minis 
ters,  picked  from  the  members  of  the  synod 
convened  at  Cambridge.  They  were  a  sort 
of  ultimate  authority  in  many  a  complex 
question  of  state. 

John  Davenport  was  not  afraid  to  hide  the 
regicides  Goffe  and  Whalley  in  his  own 
house  in  New  Haven,  when  they  came  to 
him  in  1661.  And  when  their  pursuers  were 
expected,  he  was  not  afraid  to  preach  from 


8o          The  Colonial  Parson 

the  text,  "  Hide  the  outcasts,  bewray  not  him 
that  wandereth.  Let  mine  outcasts  dwell 
with  thee,  Moab ;  be  thou  a  covert  to  them 
from  the  face  of  the  spoiler"  (Isaiah  xvi. 
3,  4.)  Such  a  course  was  political  testimony 
of  the  most  effective  character. 

These  men  dealt  with  public  affairs  in  a 
masterful  way.  They  were  neither  timid 
nor  reserved  in  respect  to  their  course. 
While  it  did  not  seem  wise  for  the  parson  to 
take  the  actual  administration  of  political 
matters  into  his  own  personal  control,  and 
serve  the  colony  or  community  as  magis 
trate,  law-maker,  governor,  nevertheless  ap 
peal  was  made  to  him  on  important  occa 
sions  and  his  were  the  shaping  influences 
manifest  in  the  trend  of  things.  Increase 
Mather,  of  the  North  Church,  Boston,  was 
bitterly  opposed  to  the  government  of 
Charles  II.  During  the  Revolution  of  1688, 
he  was  busily  engaged  with  affairs  of  state 


of  New  England  81 

in  England.  When  he  returned  to  Amer 
ica,  he  brought  back  with  him  a  new  royal 
charter  and  he  had  the  privilege  of  nominat 
ing  his  friend,  Sir  William  Phips,  as  gov 
ernor,  to  the  King. 

When  we  consider  the  peculiar  relations 
which  sacred  and  secular  affairs  bore  to  each 
other,  how  town  meetings  were  frequently 
or  regularly  held  in  many  of  the  meeting 
houses,  how  such  assemblages  were  often 
called  in  connection  with  the  mid-week  lec 
ture,  how  the  same  men  generally  consti 
tuted  the  two  meetings,  how  religious  pur 
poses  dominated  the  people  whether  they 
met  for  Christian  worship  or  political  action, 
— when  we  consider  these  things,  it  becomes 
quite  apparent  that  the  parson  was  in  the 
majority  of  cases  pre-eminently  the  leading 
man  in  the  community,  the  individual  that 
embodied  the  highest  ideals  and  set  forth 

the  vital  principles  of  common  activity. 
6 


82          The  Colonial  Parson 

In  Connecticut,  as  late  as  1708,  it  was 
ordered  that  "the  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
should  preach  a  sermon  on  the  day  appointed 
by  law  for  the  choice  of  civil  rulers,  proper 
for  the  direction  of  the  town  in  the  work 
before  them."  We  know  that  in  many  cases 
such  presentation  of  truth  and  such  wisdom 
of  counsel  was  given  as  to  determine  the 
policy  of  the  little  community.  For  every 
question  that  bore  upon  the  moral,  civic, 
political,  social  life  of  the  people  was  consid 
ered  with  a  minuteness  of  detail  that  would 
appal  a  modern  congregation.  The  minister 
was  not  only  present  at  town  meeting  but  he 
was  expected  to  open  it  with  prayer,  and  the 
occasion  might  arise  when  he  took  quite  as 
large  a  part  in  the  discussion  as  any  other 
citizen. 

It  is  true  that  with  the  generations  there 
came  changes  in  respect  to  the  parson's  share 
in  the  life  of  his  times.  But  it  is  well  for  us 


of  New  England  83 

to  remember  that  he  never  arrogated  to 
himself  power  or  authority.  Dr.  Stephen 
West,  of  Stockbridge,  had  six  judges  of 
the  Massachusetts  courts  among  his  par 
ishioners.  His  influence  upon  them  was 
one  of  the  notable  features  of  his  minis 
try,  a  remark  which  might  be  truthfully 
repeated  concerning  a  large  proportion  of 
these  ministers. 

The  elder  President  Dwight  puts  it  wisely 
when  he  says :  "  The  real  weight  of  clergy 
men  in  New  England,  particularly  in  Massa 
chusetts  and  Connecticut,  consists  wholly  in 
their  influence;  an  influence  derived  from 
their  office  and  their  conduct. "  And  we  find 
no  more  vivid  and  beautiful  illustration  of 
this  fact  than  in  the  years  which  preceded 
the  struggle  for  American  Independence  and 
the  years  of  that  conflict  itself.  One  Con 
necticut  parson  raised  a  volunteer  company 
within  the  bounds  of  his  own  parish  and 


84          Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

then   entered  the   war  as   captain   of  it — a 
^  Bradley  of  Branford. 

Many  of  the  ministers  became  chaplains 
and  made  themselves  of  inestimable  value  to 
the  cause  of  liberty.  Judah  Champion,  of 
Litchfield,  who  entered  the  army  as  chaplain 
later,  was  conducting  divine  service  in  his 
church  when  he  was  interrupted  by  the  en 
trance  of  a  courier.  A  scrap  of  paper  was 
put  into  the  parson's  hand.  He  read  it: 
"St.  John  is  taken."  "Thank  God  for  the 
victory !"  he  exclaimed.  "  Amen  and  amen," 
replied  the  chorister.  Then  the  patriotic 
parson  recited  the  needs  of  our  troops,  pic 
turing  their  sufferings,  kindling  the  enthusi 
asm  of  his  hearers.  It  was  Sunday,  but 
such  a  flame  of  practical  loyalty  had  been 
kindled  that  people  went  home  to  spin, 
knit,  sew,  and  do  all  sorts  of  things  to 
alleviate  the  sufferings  of  their  precious 
countrymen. 


of  New  England  85 

The  spirit  manifest  by  Dr.  Daggett,  of 
New  Haven — professor  in  the  Divinity 
School — was  a  characteristic  spirit.  When 
Tryon,  of  contemptible  memory,  burned  the 
city,  Dr.  Daggett  was  observed  standing  in 
a  little  clump  of  bushes  blazing  away  at  the 
British  with  all  his  might.  Soldiers  were 
sent  to  investigate  the  single-handed  and 
solitary  warrior.  When  the  commanding 
officer  and  his  small  band  came  upon  him, 
the  officer  exclaimed: 

"  What  are  you  doing  there,  you  old  fool, 
firing  on  His  Majesty's  troops?" 

The  busy  doctor  of  divinity  replied,  "  Ex 
ercising  the  rights  of  war. " 

This  astonished  and  amused  the  British 
officer,  so  he  said  with  some  indulgent  ap 
preciation  of  the  thing : 

"  If  I  let  you  go  this  time,  you  rascal,  will 
you  ever  fire  again  upon  the  troops  of  His 
Majesty?" 


86          The  Colonial  Parson 

"Nothing  more  likely,"  grimly  answered 
the  clerical  hero. 

So  they  took  him  prisoner,  made  him 
march  through  the  heat  and  the  dust  to 
another  part  of  the  town,  and  finally  cast 
him  one  side. 

It  was  Dr.  Goodrich,  of  Dunham,  who  said 
from  his  pulpit  during  these  eventful  days : 
"  Let  the  young  woman  refuse  to  give  her 
heart  and  hand  to  the  young  man  who  will 
not  give  his  heart  and  hand  to  the  war  for 
the  independence  of  the  state."  And  many 
a  man  did  what  Andrew  Eliot,  Jr.,  did  in 
Fairfield,  namely,  relinquish  a  part  or  the 
whole  of  his  salary  on  account  of  the  com 
mon  poverty,  and  still  continue  to  minister, 
battling  with  circumstances  to  the  best  of  his 
ability. 

Great  work  was  done  by  the  parsons  in 
arousing  public  sentiment  and  firing  the 
souls  of  men  with  patriotism.  Mark  Leaven- 


of  New  England  87 

worth,  of  Waterbury,  was  one  of  these  ear 
nest  men.  It  was  he  that  came  to  his  church 
under  the  conditions  of  a  ^500  bond  to  be 
paid  to  the  church  in  case  he  should  become 
an  Episcopalian  any  time  within  twenty 
years.  The  bond  was  cancelled  after  a  few 
years.  Mr.  Leavenworth  served  as  chap 
lain  in  the  French  war,  and  he  was  appointed 
in  1776  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Con 
necticut  "to  arouse  and  animate  the  peo 
ple."  We  may  well  believe  that  he  did  his 
part  in  that  important  task. 

Their  very  prayers  were  colored  by  the  in 
tensity  of  their  patriotism,  although  an  occa 
sional  slip  is  recorded.  One  of  these  good 
men,  passing  unconsciously  into  the  stereo 
typed  petition  for  "our  excellent  King 
George,"  corrected  himself  by  adding  par 
enthetically,  "  O  Lord,  I  mean  George  Wash 
ington,"  which  proved  satisfactory  to  his 
watchful  congregation  and  emphasized  the 


88          The  Colonial  Parson 

fact  of  his  prayer  for  the  cause  of  Independ 
ence. 


/^^Gurdon  Saltonstall  was  another  of  these 
parson-statesmen.  A  man  of  large  culture, 
excellent  spirit,  keen  insight,  broad  sympa 
thies,  he  was  often  consulted  by  his  friend 
and  parishioner,  Governor  Fitz  John  Win- 
throp.  When  the  man  of  government  be 
came  ill,  Mr.  Saltonstall  aided  him  in  the 
conduct  of  public  affairs.  His  help  was  of 
such  character  that,  on  the  death  of  Win- 
throp,  he  was  chosen  to  succeed  him.  For 
sixteen  years  Governor  Saltonstall  remained 
in  office,  discharging  his  many  duties  with 
eminent  ability  and  leaving  to  his  people  the 
inheritance  of  many  agreeable  memories. 

'**— *. 

The  Synod  of  Saybrook  was  convened  in  ac 
cordance  with  his  wishes.  The  first  print 
ing-press  in  the  colony  was  introduced  by 
him  in  1709. 

Elisha  Williams,  minister  in  Wethersfield, 


of  New  England  89 

represented  his  people  in  the  legislature  and 
was  also  made  a  judge  of  the  superior  court. 
Daniel  Hopkins,  one  of  the  Salem  parsons, 
was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  in 
1775  as  well  as  the  Council  of  the  Conven 
tional  Government  in  1778. 

But  the  parson's  best  work  was  done  by 
way  of  incentive  and  persuasion.  In  Gor 
don's  "History  of  the  American  Revolu 
tion,"  there  appears  the  following  letter: 

"Rev.  Sir:  We  cannot  but  acknowledge 
the  goodness  of  Heaven,  in  constantly  sup 
plying  us  with  preachers  of  the  Gospel, 
whose  concern  has  been  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  happiness  of  his  people.  In  a  day 
like  this,  when  all  the  friends  of  civil  and  re 
ligious  liberty  are  exerting  themselves  to 
deliver  this  country  from  its  present  calami 
ties,  we  cannot  but  place  great  hopes  in  an 
order  of  men  who  have  ever  distinguished 
themselves  in  their  country's  cause;  and  do 


90  The  Colonial  Parson 

therefore  recommend  to  the  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  in  the  several  towns  and  other  places 
in  this  colony,  that  they  assist  us  in  avoiding 
that  dreadful  slavery  with  which  we  are  now 
threatened." 


THE 

LITERARY 

PARSON 


THE   LITERARY   PARSON. 

THE  literature  of  colonial  days  was  nar 
row  and  meagre,  but  the  minister  was  gen 
erally  the  creator  of  the  few  books  circu 
lated.  It  was  not  that  he  was  the  only 
educated  man  among  the  people,  but  rather 
that  his  mind  seemed  to  move  in  the  way  of 
literary  expression.  He  lived  among  books, 
although  the  number  of  books  in  his  library 
was  necessarily  small,  and  he  was  pre 
eminently  a  man  of  one  book,  so  that  all  his 
literary  tasks  were  colored  by  his  devout  and 
suggestive  familiarity  with  the  Bible.  Then 
he  made  a  large  use  of  classical  literature, 
which  was  the  staple  material  used  in 
university  instruction.  Copious  quotations 
93 


94         The  Colonial  Parson 

from  Greek  and  Latin  authors  were  mingled 
with  frequent  passages  from  the  Sacred 
Scriptures  in  all  the  books  and  pamphlets 
which  these  scholars  wrote. 

The  realm  of  theology  claimed  first  atten 
tion.  Discourses  from  the  pulpit  often 
made  a  complete  system  of  Christian  doc 
trine,  the  course  of  sermons  continuing 
months  or  years. 

Various  important  works  were  first  pre 
sented  in  this  way.  The  multiplicity  of 
books  upon  doctrinal  and  metaphysical 
themes  was  simply  appalling.  Increase 
Mather  left  behind  him  eighty-five  publica 
tions.  His  son,  Cotton  Mather,  bequeathed 
three  hundred  and  eighty- two  unto  posterity ; 
and  they  were  predominantly  theological  in 
character.  Above  his  study  door  were  the 
words,  "  Be  short. "  This  was  a  prime  neces 
sity  with  visitors,  else  the  diligent  writer 
had  never  finished  his  many  books  and  at- 


of  New  England  95 

tended  to  the  common  details  of  life  and  the 
pastorate.  One  feels  little  drawing  toward 
this  mass  of  literary  matter,  but  the  "  Mag- 
nalia"  is  certainly  an  interesting  and  valu 
able  work,  characteristic  of  the  man,  rich  in 
quaint  phraseology,  witty  sayings,  curious 
quips,  and  suggestive  figures  of  speech. 

The  most  famous  among  these  theological 
writers  was  Jonathan  Edwards.  His  work 
survives  upon  the  shelves  of  scholars  to 
day.  It  is  truly  monumental  in  character 
and  elects  him  to  a  place  among  the  great 
minds  of  the  ages.  It  is  with  peculiar  in 
terest  that  we  think  of  him.  The  work 
which  he  had  faithfully  done  in  North 
ampton  seemed  to  end  prematurely  and  with 
disaster.  As  he  went  into  the  isolation  of 
missionary  service  among  the  Indians,  hope 
burned  dimly  within  his  soul.  But  his  lone 
liness  and  disappointment  did  not  trammel 
him  in  the  great  work  to  which  God  called 


96          The  Colonial  Parson 

him.  The  book  on  "  The  Freedom  of  the 
Human  Will"  was  written,  and  the  advance 
ment  to  the  presidency  of  Princeton  College 
followed,  so  that  when  he  forfeited  his  brief 
life  through  devotion  to  science,  a  majestic 
task  had  been  achieved  and  an  imperishable 
fame  assured.  We  count  him  the  great 
thinker  of  New  England  and  the  new 
nation.  We  count  him  one  of  the  great 
thinkers  of  the  English-speaking  world. 

Not  a  little  of  the  writing  done  by  the 
colonial  parson  was  ecclesiastical  in  its  na 
ture.  The  policy  of  the  churches  was  ex 
plained,  illustrated,  and  defended.  Many  a 
controversy  waged  with  furious  earnestness. 
Mr.  Hobart  attacked  Episcopacy  when  it 
began  its  inroads  in  the  country,  and  the 
controversialists  did  not  mince  matters  when 
personalities  were  broached. 

We  speak  of  these  men  as  lacking  imagi 
nation.  Charles  Chauncey,  the  second,  used 


of  New  England  97 

to  say  that  he  wished  somebody  would  trans 
late  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost"  into  prose  so 
that  he  might  understand  it.  But  when  it 
came  to  heated  discussion  upon  religious  or 
political  matters  the  writers  of  the  various 
ages  were  manifestly  fertile  and  ingenious 
in  all  sorts  of  curious  fancies  and  conceits. 
Many  a  strange  and  original  turn  was  given 
to  language  by  these  men.  It  is  an  interest 
ing  study — their  versatility  of  expression  and 
their  striking  mastery  of  phrases. 

The  parson  was  not  devoid  of  poetical  sen 
timent  and  aspiration.  We  must  bear  in 
mind  that  pioneer  struggles  are  not  favor 
able  to  the  muses.  There  were  more  seri 
ous  and  important  tasks  on  hand  than  writ 
ing  songs  and  gathering  flowers  of  rhetoric. 
Nevertheless  some  of  these  men  claimed  the 
title  of  poet.  The  "  Bay  Psalm  Book"  was 
their  most  important  and  influential  contri 
bution  to  this  department  of  literature.  It 
7 


98          The  Colonial  Parson 

had  not  a  little  to  do  with  forming  public 
opinion  and  quickening  mental  impulse 
favorable  to  the  writing  of  poetry. 

Although  many  of  these  men  adventured 
into  rhyme,  yet  they  did  it  with  a  certain  com 
mendable  reserve  and  modesty.  Nathaniel 
Ward,  of  Ipswich,  speaking  of  their  propen 
sity  to  attempt  poetry,  observes,  "  I  can  im 
pute  it  to  nothing  but  to  the  flatuousness  of 
our  diet."  "The  Simple  Cobbler  of  Aga- 
wam"  is  the  interesting  product  of  this  poet- 
preacher.  One  would  scarce  put  it  in  the 
same  category  as  Milton's  "  Comus"  or 
Butler's  "  Hudibras,"  but  it  did  well  enough 
for  a  vent  to  the  so-called  poetical  impulses 
of  the  author. 

Michael  Wigglesworth,  described  as  "a 
little,  feeble  shadow  of  a  man,"  believed  that 
he  was  writing  poetry  when  he  composed 
"The  Day  of  Doom."  Its  success  did  not  a 
little  to  encourage  his  contemporaries  and 


of  New  England  99 

successors  to  immolate  themselves  upon  the 
"Altar  of  Song." 

These  good  men  had  a  way  "of  falling 
into  poetry,"  as  it  has  been  feelingly  and 
graphically  described.  The  grave-yards 
were  full  of  it ;  and  truth  compels  us  to  say 
that  it  were  hard  to  find  a  more  congenial 
and  more  fitting  place  for  it  than  the  ceme 
tery.  Here  it  did  less  evil  by  way  of  asso 
ciation  and  more  good  by  way  of  emotional 
outlet.  Mr.  Woodbridge's  eulogy  on  John 
Cotton  is  a  very  good  example  of  the  work 
done  in  this  peculiar  and  popular  line  of 
composition.  The  poet  speaks  of  the  emi 
nent  man  as — 

"A  living,  breathing  Bible,  tables  where 
Both  Covenants,  at  large,  engraven  were. 

O  what  a  monument  of  glorious  worth 
When  in  a  new  edition  he  comes  forth, 
Without  erratas,  may  we  think  he'll  be 
In  leaves  and  covers  of  eternity." 


ioo         The  Colonial  Parson 

The  literature  of  eulogy  and  "  epitaphy"  in 
New  England  is  peculiarly  rich  and  "  mov 
ing,"  although  the  moving  element  which 
abounds  favors  laughter  rather  than  tears. 
Not  a  little  of  our  modern  wit  finds  its  gene 
sis  in  the  ancient  graveyard. 

David  Humphries  and  Joel  Barlow  were 
both  ministers,  although  they  gave  the 
strength  of  their  genius  to  other  pursuits 
than  that  of  the  ministry.  But  with  all  that 
can  be  said  in  respect  to  the  poetry  of  colo 
nial  life  we  speedily  reach  the  conclusion  that 
the  less  said  the  better  so  far  as  the  good  of 
poetry  is  concerned. 

These  parsons  were  interesting  writers  of 
history.  The  narrative  flowed  along  without 
much  regard  to  consecutiveness  of  events  or 
balance  and  proportion  of  discourse ;  but  it 
made  an  invaluable  record,  and  we  are  quite 
dependent  upon  these  quaint  and  original 
excursions  into  the  field  of  reminiscence  and 


of  New  England  101 

observation.  The  State  of  Massachusetts 
paid  Mr.  Hubbard,  of  Ipswich,  ^50  for  his 
history  of  New  England.  It  is  a  mine  from 
which  we  still  gather  more  or  less  treasure. 

The  "  Magnalia"  of  Mather  is  of  course 
like  to  no  other  work  ever  printed. 

It  is  sweet  to  be  remembered  even  with 
such  a  portraiture  as  that  given  of  Mr. 
Ralph  Partridge.  Mather  starts  with  the 
text,  "  'Twas  as  when  one  doth  hunt  a  par 
tridge  in  the  mountains."  "Among  the 
many  worthy  persons  who  were  persecuted 
into  an  American  wilderness  .  .  .  there  was 
one  that  bore  the  name  as  well  as  the  state 
of  a  hunted  partridge.  .  .  .  This  was  Mr. 
Ralph  Partridge,  who  for  no  fault  but  the 
delicacy  of  his  good  spirit,  being  distressed 
by  the  ecclesiastical  setters,  had  no  defence 
neither  of  beak  nor  claw,  but  a  flight  over 
the  ocean.  .  .  .  This  partridge  had  not  only 
the  innocency  of  the  dove  .  .  .  but  also  the 


102         The  Colonial  Parson 

loftiness  of  an  eagle,  in  the  great  soar  of  his 
intellectual  abilities.  .  .  .  The  church  of 
Duxbury  had  such  an  eagle  in  their  par 
tridge.  .  .  .  Mr.  Partridge  was,  notwith 
standing  the  paucity  and  poverty  of  his  con 
gregation,  so  afraid  of  anything  that  looked 
like  a  bird  wandering  from  his  nest,  that  he 
remained  with  his  poor  people  till  he  took 
wing  to  become  a  bird  of  paradise,  along 
with  the  winged  seraphim  of  heaven. " 

These  parsons  were  admirable  writers  of 
adventure.  They  had  the  adventures  in  the 
first  place,  which  insisted  upon  being  written 
up  for  the  coming  generations.  Then  they 
had  the  spirit  and  the  imagination  to  deal 
with  the  material  in  their  possession.  A 
strict  study  of  the  times  inclines  one  to  think 
that  imagination  played  not  an  insignificant 
part  in  these  papers.  I  do  not  mean  that 
there  was  ever  a  purpose  to  mis-state  or  con 
vey  wrong  impressions ;  simply  that  nature, 


of  New  England  103 

surroundings,  events  assumed  startling,  sug 
gestive  forms  to  their  minds,  and  they  wrote 
with  the  frankness  and  simplicity  of  children. 
The  books  upon  witchcraft  and  the  wonders 
observed  during  these  early  days  are  good 
illustrations  of  our  meaning. 

But  the  works  which  strike  us  as  most  in 
teresting  are  the  journals  kept  by  these  men 
and  the  fragments  of  biography  transmitted 
to  us.  Brainerd  revealed  his  very  soul  in  his 
diaries.  The  pictures  of  the  days  in  which 
he  lived  are  exceedingly  vivid.  It  is  like 
standing  at  some  window  which  commands 
an  endless  stretch  of  landscape  and  viewing 
"  the  landscape  o'er"  until  the  eye  tires  of  its 
straining. 

While  George  Eliot  may  feel  that  bio 
graphies  are  the  bane  of  literature,  yet 
we  believe  Carlyle  has  the  right  of  it  in 
saying  that  they  are  the  most  universally 
profitable  of  books.  So  the  reader  has  sim- 


104         The  Colonial  Parson 

ply  to  turn  to  the  numerous  reminiscences 
which  embalm  the  memory  of  these  old  par 
sons  and  there  rises  before  him  the  goodly 
company  of  worthies,  instinct  with  the  spirit 
of  their  age,  alive  to  the  needs  of  men,  faith 
ful  to  reflect  the  life  common  to  their  kind. 
Dr.  Dwight  portrays  the  parson  in  the  fifth 
part  of  his  poem  on  Greenfield  Hill : 

"His  face,  the  image  of  his  mind, 
With  grave  and  furrow 'd  wisdom  shined  ; 
Not  cold  ;  but  glowing  still  and  bright ; 

Yet  glowing  with  October  light. 

His  cure  his  thoughts  engrossed  alone ; 

For  them  his  painful  course  was  run  : 

To  bless,  to  save,  his  only  care ; 

To  chill  the  guilty  soul  with  fear ; 

To  point  the  pathway  to  the  skies, 

And  teach  and  urge  and  aid  to  rise ; 

Where  strait  and  difficult  to  keep, 

It  climbs  and  climbs  o'er  Virtue's  steep." 


THE 

PARSON 

AS  A  SCHOLAR 


THE  PARSON  AS  A   SCHOLAR. 

A  STORY  is  told  concerning  Thomas  Parker, 
of  Newbury,  which  illustrates  the  condition 
of  scholarship  among  the  parsons.  The 
theological  opinions  of  this  minister  did  not 
altogether  approve  themselves  to  his  breth 
ren.  The  brethren  therefore  visited  him 
and  engaged  in  argument.  They  spoke  in 
English  and  he  replied  in  Latin.  They 
took  up  the  argument  in  Latin  and  he 
answered  it  in  Greek.  They  continued  it 
in  Greek  and  he  fled  to  Hebrew.  They 
followed  him  into  Hebrew  and  he  clinched 
the  matter  in  Arabic.  This  was  truly  a 
clincher  for  them,  since  Arabic  was  be 
yond  their  acquirements.  The  incident 
gives  a  fair  conception  of  the  scholastic  con 
ditions  which  prevailed  among  the  parsons. 
107 


io8         The  Colonial  Parson 

Many  of  the  clerical  emigrants  had  ranked 
among  the  ripest  students  of  the  old  country. 
When  they  settled  in  New  England,  they 
not  only  continued  their  labors  in  these  con 
genial  fields,  but  they  speedily  set  to  them 
selves  the  tasks  of  rearing  an  educated 
ministry  and  fostering  the  instincts  of  study 
among  the  people.  No  one  will  deny  that 
they  were  the  primary  forces  in  this  impor 
tant  movement.  An  examination  into  the 
history  of  our  schools  and  colleges  shows 
that  the  parsons  furnished  the  vitality  and 
the  impulse  for  the  founding  and  the  con 
duct  of  many  important  institutions. 

Cotton  Mather  was  called  the  most  learned 
man  of  his  day,  but  Thomas  Prince  came 
close  to  him  in  the  competition  for  scholar 
ship.  The  ancient  languages  seem  almost 
as  familiar  to  these  parsons  as  the  vernacu 
lar  in  the  home  and  on  the  street.  John 
Cotton  was  called  "  a  most  universal  scholar 


of  New  England  109 

and  a  living  system  of  the  liberal  arts  and  a 
walking  library. "  (I  wonder  if  this  descrip 
tion  of  Cotton  suggested  to  Sydney  Smith 
his  mot  on  Macaulay — "  a  book  in  breeches"?) 
Peter  Bulkly  was  an  excellent  scholar,  and 
he  showed  his  interest  in  education  by  giv 
ing  his  library  (or  a  part  of  it)  to  Harvard. 
These  men  were  always  earnest  in  their 
efforts  to  foster  learning  and  diffuse  intelli 
gence.  Education  was  a  part  of  their  creed, 
Its  encouragement  was  a  religious  obligation 
resting  upon  the  ministry  in  an  especial 
way. 

The  meeting  together  of  ten  Connecticut 
parsons  and  their  small  gifts  toward  an  in 
stitution  of  higher  learning  in  the  colony 
was  an  incident  typical  of  the  purpose  and 
method  of  these  men.  Not  only  did  Har 
vard,  Yale,  Dartmouth,  and  the  swift-suc 
ceeding  colleges  owe  their  inception  and 
organization  largely  to  the  ministers,  but 


no         The  Colonial  Parson 

they  were  also  manned  and  managed  by 
them.  Not  that  we  wish  to  detract  from  the 
creditable  part  which  the  laity  took  in  the 
matter.  The  parson  and  his  people  were  in 
harmony  respecting  the  founding  and  sup 
port  of  the  colleges.  But  it  is  a  fact  that 
the  minister  was  given  the  leadership  in  the 
important  business. 

The  governing  body  of  the  various  insti 
tutions  had  a  goodly  proportion  of  parsons 
in  it.  They  were  esteemed  especially  fit  to 
perform  such  tasks  as  must  fall  to  them  in 
this  public  capacity.  When  it  came  to  the 
work  of  instruction  ministers  did  large  part 
of  it.  The  teaching  office  was  identified  to 
a  marked  degree  with  the  ministerial  pro 
fession.  A  larger  supply  of  well-educated 
preachers  native  to  the  soil  being  the  chief 
object  in  mind,  it  necessarily  followed  that 
the  parsons  took  the  chief  hand  in  the  con 
genial  labor  of  instruction. 


of  New  England  1 1 1 

The  common  schools  likewise  interested 
them.  There  were  numerous  parishes 
where  the  parson  always  served  on  the 
"  school  committee. "  The  intimate  relation 
existing1  between  the  town  and  the  church 
would  be  sufficient  reason  for  this  thing, 
but  an  added  explanation  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  parsons  were  insistent  upon  the 
education  of  the  people  and  sought  every 
helpful  means  to  encourage  the  multiplica 
tion  and  support  of  schools.  When  Horace 
Mann,  in  one  of  his  reports  to  the  Board  of 
Education,  urged  the  ministers  to  interest 
themselves  in  the  schools,  he  simply  re 
curred  to  the  early  habits  and  customs  of 
the  colony. 

It  was  not  an  infrequent  thing  to  employ 
the  parson  as  a  teacher.  Whenever  the 
community  found  it  impracticable  to  secure 
a  school-master,  the  people  still  had  a  last 
resort  in  the  educated  man  of  the  parish. 


ii2         The  Colonial  Parson 

Although  such  double  duty  was  burdensome 
and  harassing,  yet  the  ^parson  conformed 
uncomplainingly  to  circumstances  and 
served  according  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
Many  of  the  teachers  came  from  the  ranks 
of  young  divinity  students.  Jeremiah  Day 
was  an  example.  Samuel  Williams  taught 
school  in  his  native  place  between  the  time 
of  his  graduation  from  college  and  his  licen- 
sure  to  preach.  These  opportunities  were 
coveted  for  the  reason  that  they  helped  the 
impecunious  students  to  the  means  neces 
sary  for  the  independent  start  in  life. 

Another  form  of  service  in  behalf  of  edu 
cation  was  performed  by  the  parsons  in 
their  taking  boys  and  youth  into  the  family 
and  preparing  them  for  college.  Many  a 
minister  eked  out  his  income  this  way  and 
filled  the  shelves  of  his  library.  The  gram 
mar  schools  established  through  New  Eng 
land  were  not  so  numerous  as  current  opin- 


of  New  England  113 

ion  suggests.  For  in  various  instances 
communities  that  had  been  instructed  by 
public  vote  to  establish  and  conduct  these 
schools  found  it  impossible  to  do  so  by  rea 
son  of  limited  means.  As  a  result  the  min 
ister  received  ambitious  pupils  into  his  home 
and  did  for  them  the  service  that  the  town 
refused  to  do. 

Moses  Hallock,  of  Plainfield,  Mass.,  and 
Dr.  Wood,  of  Boscawen,  N.  H.,  fitted  about 
one  hundred  men  each  for  college.  Two 
of  the  men  instructed  by  Dr.  Wood  were 
Ezekiel  and  Daniel  Webster.  Other  min 
isters  wrought  in  this  same  way,  one  man 
preparing  one  hundred  and  thirty  pupils 
for  college.  The  record  of  Dr.  Elizur 
Goodrich  was  even  more  remarkable,  for  he 
received  nearly  three  hundred  into  his 
family ;  and  by  good  management  he  lived 
in  a  generous  way,  educated  his  own  five 

sons  for  public  life,  and  left  an  estate  of  five 
8 


ii4         The  Colonial  Parson 

or  six  thousand  dollars  at  his  death.  His 
library  was  one  of  the  famous  collections  of 
New  England. 

This  familiar  and  domestic  form  of  in 
struction  was  especially  favored  in  the  pur 
suit  of  theological  study.  While  the  colleges 
had  for  their  primary  object  the  nurturing 
of  an  educated  ministry,  the  training  that 
was  distinctively  for  the  church  was  done  by 
the  individual  parson.  Dr.  Bellamy  had  a 
long  succession  of  college  graduates  in  his 
home.  These  men  sought  theological  train 
ing  under  his  guidance.  Aaron  Burr  was 
an  inmate  of  his  home  for  a  season,  and 
many  were  the  arguments  and  discussions 
which  these  two  famous  men  held  during 
the  weeks  of  their  intercourse. 

Professor  Dwight,  of  Yale,  bears  a  notable 
name  and  transmits  to  this  generation  many 
precious  inheritances.  A  signal  illustration 
himself  of  the  debt  which  scholarship  owes 


of  New  England  115 

to  the  parson  class,  we  find  in  his  famous 
grandfather,  of  the  same  name,  a  very 
worthy  embodiment  of  the  best  and  largest 
services  rendered  to  the  general  prosper 
ity  of  the  country.  The  elder  President 
Dwight  had  for  a  mother  Mary,  third 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  a  woman 
of  rare  spirit  and  intellect.  The  early 
years  of  his  life  were  memorable  by  her 
faithful  instructions  and  blessed  influ 
ences.  As  scholar,  poet,  chaplain,  farmer, 
and  preacher,  he~  made ^an_en viable  J*epu- 
tation. 


His  great  work,  however,  was  that  wrought 
in  the  domain  of  the  teacher.  While  pastor 
at  Greenfield  Hill  he  conducted  a  school 
which  became  famous  in  the  land.  Declin 
ing  invitations  to  larger  fields  of  labor,  he 
remained  in  his  country  parish  until  elected 
president  of  Yale  College.  This  gave  him 
the  opportunity  to  do  the  supreme  task  to 


n6         The  Colonial  Parson 

which  he  was  appointed  and  for  which 
he  was  fitted;  and  he  achieved  a  work 
which  identified  him  with  the  progress 
of  New  England  as  few  men  have  been 
identified. 

The  indebtedness  of  education  to  the  par 
son  class  is  also  seen  in  the  many  evidences 
of  scholarship  which  appear  in  the  history 
of  learning  here  in  New  England.  Dr.  Ed 
ward  Wigglesworth,  teacher  and  preacher, 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 
The  various  societies  designed  to  foster 
study  and  research  were  adorned  by  the 
membership  of  many  a  learned  parson. 
Linguistics,  natural  philosophy,  history, 
there  were  ministers  who  gave  themselves 
with  zeal  to  the  cultivation  of  these  pur 
suits.  Medicine  itself  was  enriched  by 
the  services  of  many  parsons.  Doctor 
Jared  Eliot  was  one  of  the  most  noted 


of  New  England  117 

cases,  and  his  contributions  to  botany 
and  other  departments  of  science  were  sig 
nificant. 

Eliphalet  Adams,  of  New  London,  was  a 
marked  scholar.  When  the  rectorship  of 
Yale  was  offered  to  him,  a  town  meeting 
was  called  (April  16,  1714)  and  the  matter 
being  referred  to  his  people,  they  voted  that 
he  decline  the  honor  and  remain  with 
them.  Doctor  Timothy  Cutler,  of  Yale,  was 
one  of  the  famed  Oriental  scholars  of  his 
day. 

It  is  apparent  that  scholarship  and  the 
ministry  are  congenial.  Did  one  attempt  to 
state  in  detail  the  support  which  the  parson 
gave  to  the  cause  of  education  the  task  would 
be  almost  endless.  When  an  association  for 
the  improvement  of  schools  was  formed  in 
Middlesex,  William  Woodbridge,  a  minister, 
was  made  president  of  it.  This  is  a  simple 
illustration  of  the  confidence  reposed  in  the 


u8         The  Colonial  Parson 

parson.  It  was  believed  that  his  interest 
in  education  was  such  that  he  would  do  all 
in  his  power  for  its  best  development.  And 
he  courted  the  responsibilities  peculiar  to 
the  trust. 

Now  that  teaching  has  become  an  impor 
tant  profession  in  itself,  distinct  from  other 
intellectual  services,  the  relations  of  the 
minister  to  its  history  are  not  emphasized. 
There  is  also  a  feeling  common  to  many 
people  to-day  that  education  (in  the  techni 
cal  sense)  must  be  independent  of  the  par 
son  and  the  church.  It  is  not  for  us  to  dis 
cuss  the  question  in  this  connection,  but  it 
is  for  us  to  remember  that  the  individual 
who  served  most  efficiently  as  inspiration 
and  leader  in  the  matter  of  education  here 
in  New  England  during  the  early  gener 
ations  was  the  colonial  parson;  while  the 
testimony  of  two  prominent  educators  re 
minds  us  that  the  minister  has  proved  an 


of  New  England  1 19 

invaluable  factor  in  the  diffusion  of  knowl 
edge  these  later  days. 

Professor  Stowe,  who  was  connected  for 
years  with  the  educational  system  of  Ohio, 
writes :  "  My  experience  has  taught  me  to 
despair  of  establishing,  with  any  perma 
nency,  even  a  good  district  school  where 
there  is  not  a  good  church  and  an  intelligent 
ministry  to  watch  over  and  sustain  it." 
And  Professor  Sears,  once  secretary  of  the 
Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  while  re 
ferring  to  the  help  given  him  by  various 
professional  men,  continued :  "  It  may, 
however,  be  said,  without  any  injustice  to 
others,  that  the  clergy  of  every  name,  in 
the  Commonwealth,  have  been  second  to 
no  other  men  in  respect  to  an  enlightened 
policy  and  energetic  action  in  promoting  the 
education  of  the  people." 

It  is  literally  true  that  the  typical  parson 
of  colonial  New  England  was  not  only  the 


120         Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

friend  of  education,  but  he  was  likewise  an 
embodiment  of  scholarship. 

"The  calm  delights 
Of  unambitious  piety  he  chose, 
And  learning's  solid  dignity." 


THE 

PARSON 

AS  A  PREACHER 


THE    PARSON  AS  A   PREACHER. 

THE  parson  occupied  a  remarkable  position 
when  he  proclaimed  his  message  from  the 
pulpit.  The  intellectual  as  well  as  the  moral 
and  spiritual  life  of  the  community  was 
nourished  by  the  preacher.  Professor  Fisher 
has  observed  that  "  the  height  of  the  pulpits 
from  which  they  preached  on  the  Lord's  Day 
is  a  symbol  of  the  elevation  conceded  to 
them  by  the  general  sentiment  of  the  peo 
ple."  Any  interruptions  were  considered 
disgraceful;  and  the  people  that  had  the 
temerity  to  disturb  a  meeting  were  visited 
with  condign  punishment. 

One  can  scarcely  imagine  the  excitement 
which  must  have  prevailed  during  the  witch 
craft  delusion,  when  the  minister  was  inter 
rupted  by  girls  shouting,  "Parson,  your 
123 


124         Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

sermon  is  too  long!"  (which  was  undeniably 
true,  however),  or  "There  is  a  great  yellow 
bird  sitting  on  the  parson's  hat  in  the  pul 
pit."  Such  hysterical  ebullitions  were  a 
feature  of  the  troublous  times.  Occasionally 
some  man  would  contradict  the  minister,  but 
such  events  were  rare.  There  was  a  law 
against  this  sort  of  thing  in  some  of  the  col 
onies  which  read  as  follows :  "  If  any  one  in 
terrupt  or  oppose  a  preacher  in  season  of 
worship,  they  shall  be  reproved  by  the  mag 
istrate,  and  on  repetition  shall  pay  ^5  or 
stand  two  hours  on  a  block  four  feet  high 
with  this  inscription  in  capitals,  'A  Wanton 
Gospeller. '  "  The  criticism  of  ministers  was 
a  perilous  business,  words  spoken  against 
them  being  punishable  with  whipping,  fines, 
and  other  ways. 

The  length  of  sermons  was  proverbial. 
Mather  Byles  used  to  preach  his  one  hour; 
then  taking  the  hour-glass  in  hand  and  turn- 


of  New  England  125 

ing  it  over,  he  would  say,  "  Now  we  will  take 
a  second  glass."  (This  witticism  was  prob 
ably  borrowed  from  an  English  preacher). 
The  second  glass  was  something  that  the 
people  took  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  little 
objection  was  made  to  it. 

While  censure  and  contradiction  were  not 
permitted,  people  could  not  refrain  from 
talking  about  the  preacher  and  his  preach 
ing.  Nathaniel  Ward  tells  of  a  little  child 
who  observed  that  the  minister  moved  about 
in  the  pulpit  with  a  sort  of  Talmadgian 
manner  (as  we  might  describe  it  to-day). 
"Mother,"  exclaimed  the  child,  "why  don't 
the  people  let  the  man  out  of  the  box?"  Mr. 
Ward  applies  the  anecdote  in  writing  to  a 
young  minister,  by  saying,  "  I  entreat  you  to 
behave  thyself  in  preaching,  lest  men  say, 
'This  is  a  Jack-in-a-box. '  " 

People  took  note  of  voice  and  manner 
quite  as  seriously  in  early  days  as  they  do 


i26         The  Colonial  Parson 

in  this  age.  Samuel  Neal  preached  for  his 
father-in-law,  Samuel  Willard.  But  the 
people  did  not  like  the  preaching  of  the  son- 
in-law,  and  Mr.  Willard  was  requested  not 
to  invite  him  to  preach  again.  A  little  later 
father-in-law  Willard  borrowed  son-in-law 
Neal's  sermon  and  preached  it  with  excellent 
effect.  The  people  were  so  delighted  with 
it,  that  he  was  requested  to  prepare  a  copy 
for  publication.  His  merry  satisfaction  may 
be  easily  imagined. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  drollery  in  the 
pulpit  and  out  of  it  among  these  good  men. 
John  Cotton  observed  on  one  occasion  that 
he  wanted  light  upon  a  certain  subject  ere  he 
delivered  himself  of  it,  so  a  friend  sent  him 
a  pound  of  candles^  <&r.  George  Phillips 
became  so  witty  and  jestful  in  his  preaching 
that  it  was  said  he  failed  to  maintain  the  dig 
nity  of  his  profession.  Even  John  Eliot  had 
quaint  ways  of  putting  things,  so  that  the 


of  New  England  1 2  7 

souls  of  his  hearers  must  have  sometimes 
smiled  even  if  their  faces  did  not.  His 
preaching  was  described  as  quite  "  plain  so 
that  the  very  lambs  might  wade  into  his  dis 
course  on  those  texts  and  themes  wherein 
elephants  might  swim. " 

The  mirthful  Mr.  Phillips  was  accustomed 
to  read  the  Bible  through,  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation,  six  times  every  year.  He  was 
also  conversant  with  the  original  languages, 
and  he  never  needed  or  used  a  concor 
dance. 

In  their  preaching  the  early  colonial 
parsons  dwelt  chiefly  upon  doctrines  and 
wonders.  This  was  the  result  of  training 
and  association.  The  later  colonial  parsons 
emphasized  doctrines  with  the  same  ampli 
tude  and  elaboration,  but  they  became  subtle 
metaphysicians.  The  mental  acuteness  of 
these  men  was  well-nigh  matchless.  They 
were  the  peers  of  the  best  dialecticians  in 


128         The  Colonial  Parson 

Europe.  Sermons  were  arguments,  chains 
forged  with  the  set  purpose  to  hold  in  sub 
jection  the  minds  of  men.  The  philosophi 
cal  discrimination  manifest  in  these  pro 
ductions  confounds  the  man  of  to-day  who 
goes  to  church  that  his  weary  brain  may 
take  a  rest.  And  yet  the  effect  produced  by 
these  preachers  was  often  a  marvel.  Ed 
wards  usually  read  his  sermons.  We  are 
told  how  he  kept  his  eyes  upon  the  manu 
script  ;  how  he  followed  his  line  of  discussion 
with  quiet,  intense  manner ;  how  he  did  not 
lift  his  voice  to  any  high,  dramatic  intonation 
but  simply  interpreted  his  message  with  the 
calm  assurance  of  unconquerable  conviction ; 
how  the  very  serenity  and  decorum  of  his 
manner  served  to  emphasize  the  importance 
of  the  truth,  so  that  at  the  last  the  waves  of 
emotion  passed  tumultuously  back  and  forth 
over  his  congregation,  and  people  were  com 
pelled  to  give  vent  unto  their  pent-up  feel- 


„   . 

England  1  29 


ings  by  means  of  groans,   cries,   shakings, 
distortions,  and  kindred  exercises. 

Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  calls  to  mind  the 
incident  of  Edwards'  taking  the  place  of 
Whitfield,  "the  darling  of  the  people,"  who 
failed  to  appear  when  a  multitude  were 
gathered  to  hear  him.  Edwards,  unknown 
to  most  in  person,  with  unfeigned  reluc 
tance,  such  as  a  vainer  man  might  feel,  rose 
before  a  disappointed  assembly  and  pro 
ceeded  with  feeble  manner  to  read  from  his 
manuscript.  In  a  little  time  the  audience 
was  hushed;  but  this  was  not  all.  Before 
they  were  aware,  they  were  attentive  and 
soon  enchained.  As  was  then  common,  one 
and  another  in  the  outskirts  would  arise  and 
stand  ;  numbers  arose  and  stood  ;  they  came 
forward,  they  pressed  upon  the  centre  ;  the 
whole  assembly  rose;  and  before  he  con 
cluded  sobs  burst  from  the  convulsed  throng. 
"It  was  the  power  of  fearful  argument." 


130         The  Colonial  Parson 

Whittier    has    set    him   before    us    in   the 
greatness  of  his  mind  and  heart : 

"  In  the  church  in  the  wilderness  Edwards  wrought, 
Shaping  his  creed  at  the  forge  of  thought ; 
And  with  Thor's  own  hammer  welded  and  bent 
The  iron  links  of  his  argument, 
Which  strove  to  grasp  in  its  mighty  span 
The  purpose  of  God  and  the  fate  of  man. 
Yet  faithful  still,  in  his  daily  round 
To  the  weak  and  the  poor  and  sin-sick  found, 
The  schoolman's  lore  and  the  casuist's  art 
Drew  warmth  and  life  from  his  fervent  heart." 

Charles  Chauncey,  the  great-grandson  of 
Harvard's  president  of  the  same  name,  was 
opposed  to  Whitfield  and  his  style  of 
preaching.  He  used  to  say  that  he  prayed 
God  he  might  never  be  an  orator.  A  wit 
remarked  that  his  prayer  had  been  answered. 
So  that  we  see  the  same  diversity  of  views 
and  tastes  prevailed  generations  ago  that  do 
these  modern  times. 

The  occasions  which  called  forth  sermons 


of  New  England  131 

were  more  numerous  than  to-day.  At  one 
period  there  was  such  a  thing  as  wedding 
discourses.  Parson  Smith's  daughter,  Mary, 
married  Mr.  Cranch  (ancestor  of  the  artist). 
She  had  her  father  preach  on  the  text, 
"  Mary  hath  chosen  the  better  part,  which 
shall  not  be  taken  away  from  her."  Her 
sister,  Abby,  married  John  Adams,  who  was 
not  popular  with  Mr.  Smith  or  his  family. 
Mary  suggested  that  her  father  preach  a 
wedding  sermon  for  Abby  on  the  text,  "  John 
came  neither  eating  bread  nor  drinking 
wine,  and  ye  say  he  hath  a  devil." 

Every  event  suggested  a  discourse.  The 
pulpit  was  the  place  where  all  that  concerned 
the  individual  or  the  state  must  be  discussed. 
We  hear  something  said  about  the  seculari 
zation  of  the  sermon  to-day.  One  needs 
simply  to  adventure  into  these  broad,  rich 
fields  of  pulpit  literature  during  the  colonial 
days  and  he  will  come  back  to  the  present 


132         The  Colonial  Parson 

with  a  feeling  that  the  times  are  not  so 
changed  as  he  has  imagined.  Many  of  these 
ancient  discourses  are  simply  world-wide  in 
the  largeness  with  which  they  embrace  every 
topic  of  interest  peculiar  to  the  day.  One 
sermon  which  I  have  read,  preached  in 
Hartford  by  Samuel  Wakeman,  contained 
some  fifty-six  divisions  and  subdivisions. 
And  each  separate  portion  of  the  discourse 
was  treated  with  a  fair  degree  of  elaboration. 
One  of  Cotton  Mather's  sermons  was  en 
titled  "Brantologia  Sacra."  He  divided  it 
into  seven  thunderbolts,  filled  with  sharp 
lightnings  from  the  Scriptures.  We  are 
told  that  while  preaching  a  tremendous 
storm  burst  above  the  congregation.  As 
Mather  exclaimed,  "  In  the  thunder  there  is 
the  voice  of  the  glorious  God!"  a  messenger 
came  and  told  him  that  his  house  had  been 
struck.  The  quick-witted  parson  was  swift 
to  improve  the  incident  and  put  into  the 


of  New  England  133 

discourse  a  few  additional  thunderbolts. 
At  the  conclusion  the  people  must  have 
felt  that  between  the  storm  within  and  with 
out  they  had  been  severely  handled. 

On  April  20,1768,  the  young  ladies  of  the 
parish  of  Newbury  met  at  the  house  of  Mr. 
Parsons,  the  parson.  (We  quote  from  an 
old  record.)  He  preached  to  them  on  the 
text  Prov.  xxxi.  19:  "  She  layeth  her  hands 
to  the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the  dis 
taff."  The  guests  then  proceeded  to  illus 
trate  the  text  by  "spinning  two  hundred 
and  seventy  skeins  of  good  yarn."  The 
narrative  says :  "  They  drank  Liberty  Tea. " 
This  was  made  from  an  herb  called  rib-wort. 
Doubtless  the  instructions  and  encourage 
ments  of  the  preacher  were  acceptable. 
The  fruits  of  the  spinning-bee  were  pre 
sented  to  the  parson's  wife. 

This  mild  and  charitable  form  of  dissipa 
tion  was  quite  popular.  The  Connecticut 


134         The  Colonial  Parson 

Journal  of  April  12,  1775,  contains  the  fol 
lowing  news:  "We  are  informed  from  the 
Parish  of  East  Haven,  that  the  last  week  the 
women  of  that  parish  .  .  .  presented  the 
Reverend  Mr.  Street  .  .  .  with  upwards  of 
130  run  of  well-spun  linen  yarn.  .  .  .  And 
the  generous  guests,  after  some  refreshment 
and  taking  a  few  dishes  of  coffee,  agreeable 
to  the  plan  of  the  Continental  Congress,  .  .  . 
dispersed  with  a  cheerfulness  that  bespoke 
that  they  would  be  well  pleased  without  a 
sip  from  that  baneful  and  exotic  herb  (tea) 
which  ought  not  so  much  as  to  be  named 
among  the  friends  of  American  Liberty." 
Which  narrative  shows  that  the  spinning- 
bee  was  a  nursery  of  patriotism  at  the  same 
time  that  it  yielded  the  practical  fruits  of 
domestic  life. 

Sermons  did  not  always  accompany  these 
exercises.  But  at  one  time  or  another  ser 
mons  touched  every  phase  and  condition  of 


of  New  England  135 

activity.  Mr.  Williams  stigmatized  veils; 
Mr.  Eliot  frowned  on  wigs,  long  hair,  and 
tobacco;  Mr.  Wilson  disapproved  of  treaties; 
Mr.  Colony  discussed  the  governor's  salary; 
Mr.  Peters  exploited  the  subject  of  a  stock 
company  in  fishing.  And  whatever  theme 
the  preacher  chose  as  the  object  of  his  illu 
mination  and  eloquence,  he  left  little  doubt 
in  the  minds  of  his  hearers  in  respect  to  his 
meaning.  Tennyson's  "Northern  Farmer" 
explains : 

"An'  I  hallus  corned  to's  choorch  afoor  my  Sally 

wur  dead, 
And  'eerd  un  a  bummin'  awaay  loike  a  buzzard-clock 

ower  my  yead, 
An'  I  niver  knaw'd  whot  a  mean'd  but  I  thowt  a  'ad 

summut  to  saay. 
An'  I  thowt  a  said  whot  a  owt  to  'a  said  an'  I  corned 

away." 

The  congregation  of  the  colonial  parson 
in  New  England  did  not  take  the  message 


136         The  Colonial  Parson 

in  this  blind  way.  Men  "  sensed"  it.  The 
appeal  was  made  to  their  understanding. 
One  expected  to  think  about  it  and  weigh  it 
in  his  own  private  scales.  Any  deficiency 
which  might  be  detected  was  sure  to  be  re 
ported  to  the  parson  and  made  the  occasion 
for  further  discussion  and  explication. 

"For  the  preacher's  merit  or  demerit, 
It  were  to  be  wished  the  flaws  were  fewer 
In  the  earthen  vessel  holding  treasure 
Which  lies  as  safe  in  a  golden  ewer ; 
But  the  main  thing  is,  does  it  hold  good  measure?" 

The  Puritan  congregations  generally  con 
sidered  that  they  had  good  measure.  "  There 
is,  perhaps,  no  greater  hardship  at  present 
inflicted  on  mankind  in  civilized  and  free 
countries,  than  the  necessity  of  listening  to 
sermons,"  says  the  author  of  "  Barchester 
Towers."  Such  a  statement  must  be  re 
ceived  with  a  great  deal  of  allowance  for 
the  prejudices  and  peculiarities  of  Trollope. 


of  New  England  137 

But  however  much  of  truth  there  may  be  in 
it  to-day,  it  is  quite  certain  that  our  ancestors 
had  another  mind,  and  for  generations  were 
conspicuously  appreciative  of  preaching. 


THE 

PARSON 

AS  A  MAN 


THE   PARSON   AS   A   MAN. 

THE  parson  was  by  no  means  devoid  of  at 
tractions  as  a  man.  He  not  only  showed 
himself  a  competent  person  on  various  occa 
sions,  but  a  spirit  of  real  manliness  flamed  in 
his  life.  The  old  saying  that  people  are 
divided  into  men,  women,  and  priests  had 
little  force  in  his  case.  He  did  not  lord  it 
over  God's  creation  because  he  was  chosen 
to  the  headship  of  the  local  church.  His 
superiority  was  largely  personal.  It  belonged 
to  the  man. 

"Self  is  the  man.      Who  crown  and  throne  would 

claim 
Must  personally  be  worthy  of  the  same." — FAUST. 

We  are  therefore  to  think  of  him  as  a  man 
among  men.  The  caricatures  which  set 

forth  the  priest  of  the  mother- country  and 
141 


142         The  Colonial  Parson 

the  misinterpretations  which  have  been 
handed  down  through  the  centuries  strike 
wide  of  the  mark  when  it  comes  to  a  dis 
criminating1  examination  of  facts. 

The  parson  was  a  manly  man.  He  came 
into  daily  touch  with  the  men  of  the  parish 
and  the  colony.  His  life  was  no  ascetic  or 
celibate  life.  The  experience  helpful  to 
trade  and  agriculture  was  quite  as  likely  to 
be  found  among  the  ministers  as  among  the 
laymen.  There  was  a  masculinity  about  this 
individual  that  harmonized  perfectly  with 
his  environment.  Many  of  these  men  were 
like  Nimrod,  famous  hunters  before  the 
Lord.  They  enjoyed  that  out-of-door  ac 
tivity  which  signifies  healthy  blood,  exu 
berant  spirit,  sanguine  disposition. 

The  pastor  of  the  church  in  Ellington, 
Conn. ,  climbed  to  the  top  and  fell  to  the  bot 
tom  of  the  meeting-house  tower,  a  distance 
of  seventy  feet.  But  it  did  not  interfere  ma- 


of  New  England  143 

terially  with  his  ministry.  He  was  not  to  be 
laid. one  side  by  any  such  small  incident. 
His  fibre  was  such  that  an  occasional  strain 
of  this  kind  was  a  mere  passing  event. 
These  men  were  well  constructed  and  wisely 
tempered  so  that  they  were  able  to  with 
stand  many  a  hard  knock  and  make  a  tran 
quil  way  through  many  a  wild  tempest. 

They  were  genial  individuals.  It  is  hard 
to  find  better  company  than  a  coterie  of 
ministers  to-day.  They  inherit  this  spirit 
of  good-fellowship.  The  starch  which  these 
men  had  about  them  was  scarce  ever  deeper 
than  the  spotless  shirt-bosom.  The  dig 
nity  of  manners  was  not  a  chosen  barrier 
to  keep  aloof  their  fellow-men.  On  the 
contrary  we  must  think  of  it  as  the  fashion 
of  the  times,  common  to  all  gentlemen, 
the  sign-manual  of  social  standing  and 
service.  There  were  men  that  became  ab 
sorbed  in  the  higher  pursuits  of  learning  and 


i44         The  Colonial  Parson 

became  known  for  their  absent-mindedness. 
John  Eliot  was  a  mild,  generous,  simple 
gentleman  and  one  that  walked  with  this  ab 
stracted  demeanor.  His  good  wife  one  day 
jested  with  him  about  his  cows.  The  ani 
mals  passed  before  his  door  and  she  demure 
ly  asked  him  whose  they  were.  He  was 
obliged  to  confess  that  he  knew  them  not. 
But  the  typical  parson  was  not  such  an  one 
that  he  lived  above  the  care  and  turmoil  of 
daily  life.  He  touched  society  at  every 
point  and  he  moved  among  people  with  a 
certain  largeness  of  experience  and  ease  of 
adaptedness  that  are  taken  for  the  character 
istics  of  the  man  of  the  world. 

Life  was  intensely  prosaic.  Ministers 
were  compelled  to  give  a  practical  turn  to 
things  in  general.  The  phrases  used  to  de 
scribe  them  smacked  of  daily  experience. 
The  Puritans  said  that  the  ship  which  car 
ried  Cotton,  Hooker,  and  Stone  brought 


of  New  England  145 

•'  three  great  necessities,  Cotton  for  their 
clothing,  Hooker  for  their  fishing,  Stone 
for  their  building."  A  quotation  from  the 
elegy  on  John  Higginson,  of  Salem,  runs  as 
follows : 

"For  rich  array  cared  not  a  fig, 
And  wore  Elisha's  periwig." 

This  was  one  way  of  saying  that  Mr.  Hig 
ginson  possessed  great  good  sense  and  was  a 
thoroughly  practical  man. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  community  that 
did  not  concern  them.  Increase  Mather 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  introduction  of 
inoculation  for  small-pox  in  this  country. 
And  another  minister,  Benjamin  Coleman,  a 
poet  as  well  as  preacher,  wrote  a  tract  upon 
the  subject  in  1721  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  mitigate  this  dread  disease  which  made 
such  havoc  in  the  land. 

The  parson  was  also  a  man  of  courage. 
It  was  not  only  that  he  had  the  courage  of 

10 


146        Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

his  convictions,  but  he  had  the  courage  of 
his  actions.  One  night  Mr.  Hooker  heard 
some  peculiar  sounds  proceeding  from  his 
cellar.  It  might  be  a  thievish  bear  or  a 
wicked  man.  He  quickly  dressed  and  went 
quietly  down  into  the  subterranean  regions. 

The  visitor  was  an  unholy  individual  that 
lived  near  the  parson,  and  he  was  taking 
away  Mr.  Hooker's  last  piece  of  pork. 
"Neighbor,"  said  the  parson,  "you  act  un 
fairly.  You  ought  to  leave  a  part  for  me." 
The  frightened  thief  fell  upon  his  knees 
and  begged  Mr.  Hooker's  pardon,  but  Mr. 
Hooker  divided  the  pork  with  him  and  sent 
him  home  a  conscience-scourged  and  repent 
ant  man. 

It  was  very  sensible  advice  which  this 
particular  parson  gave  on  the  occasion 
when  a  young  minister  proposed  to  go  into 
the  parish  where  there  dwelt  an  old,  mali 
cious  preacher — for  they  did  have  occasional 


of  New  England  147 

black  sheep  in  the  days  of  old  as  well  as  the 
days  of  new.  "  It  is  dangerous  and  uncom 
fortable,"  remarked  the  wise  parson,  with 
commendable  frankness  and  courage,  "for 
little  birds  to  build  under  the  nests  of  old 
ravens  and  kites." 

One  gets  the  impression  that  these  colo 
nial  parsons  were  plain-spoken  in  their  deal 
ings  with  the  people.  Mather  Byles  was  a 
rank  Tory.  He  made  himself  particularly 
offensive  to  the  congregation  of  Hollis  Street 
Church,  Boston.  Then  the  town  itself  took 
up  the  subject  of  his  Toryism.  In  1777  he 
was  publicly  denounced  and  arrested.  Still 
he  continued  the  free  use  of  his  tongue  and 
budged  not  one  inch  from  the  position  which 
he  had  originally  assumed.  Referring  to 
the  way  that  soldiers  had  been  sent  to  re 
strain  him  and  then  dismissed  from  the  in 
teresting  business,  he  observed  that  he  "  had 
been  guarded,  re-guarded,  and  disregarded." 


148         The  Colonial  Parson 

But  through  the  whole  process  he  was 
fearless  and  jestful.  When  the  British 
troops,  the  lobsters,  passed  his  door,  he  ex 
claimed  :  "  Ah,  now  our  grievances  will  be 
red-dressed!"  So  we  see  that  this  eminent 
minister  did  notable  service  in  his  vocation, 
and  retained,  like  his  many  predecessors  and 
contemporaries,  an  intrepid  spirit. 

They  were  also  courageous  in  the  pulpit. 
They  had  a  plain  way  of  freeing  the  mind 
on  all  sorts  of  matters.  Not  alone  grave 
concerns  of  state  or  education  or  spiritual 
life,  but  light  and  trivial  things  gave  fre 
quent  occasion  for  speech  in  the  meeting 
house.  The  frank  way  in  which  Dr.  Bellamy 
corrected  his  choir  is  an  illustration.  "  You 
must  try  again,  for  it  is  impossible  to  preach 
after  such  singing, "  said  this  good  man  on  one 
Lord's  Day.  What  temerity  and  fearlessness 
does  such  an  act  show!  Many  a  preacher 
has  been  metaphorically  beheaded  for  a 


of  New  England  149 

smaller  criticism  and  interference,  although 
there  comes  to  mind  a  later  incident  of  this 
kind  which  shows  that  some  of  the  preachers 
in  this  century  inherited  the  same  impulse 
to  frank  speech.  For  when  Captain  Brookes 
and  some  of  his  associates  slipped  out  of  the 
choir  gallery  during  sermon  time,  they  were 
greeted  on  the  return  with  a  most  solemn 
rebuke  on  the  part  of  their  pastor,  albeit  the 
captain  publicly  explained  that  a  neighbor's 
filly  had  gotten  her  legs  over  the  thills  and  it 
was  fly-time. 

The  circumstances  were  different  but  the 
manhood  was  the  same,  that  we  note  in 
the  case  of  Charles  Chauncey.  In  1747  he 
preached  an  election  sermon  before  the  gov 
ernor  and  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  that 
did  not  altogether  please  numerous  hearers. 
It  was  upon  the  fluctuations  of  paper  money, 
and  he  handled  the  subject  in  such  a  way 
that  some  of  his  audience  became  very  in- 


150         The  Colonial  Parson 

dignant  and  censorious.  It  was  told  him 
that  the  legislators  would  not  publish  the 
address  as  had  been  the  customary  way. 
"It  shall  be  printed,"  said  Mr.  Chauncey, 
"whether  the  General  Court  prints  it  or 
not."  Then  by  way  of  castigating  his  op 
ponents  the  preacher  observed,  "  If  I  wanted 
to  initiate  or  instruct  a  person  in  all  kinds 
of  iniquity  and  double-dealing,  I  would  send 
him  to  our  General  Court."  A  sentiment 
which  shows  that  legislators  were  not  always 
considered  spotless  and  unblamable  a  cen 
tury  and  a  half  ago. 

One  cannot  follow  the  course  pursued  by 
these  men  without  feeling  the  largeness  of 
their  humanity,  the  breadth  of  their  sym 
pathies,  and  the  richness  of  their  experience. 
They  had  their  faults  like  other  people. 
The  sentiments  and  conditions  of  the  times 
had  much  to  do  with  their  personal  charac 
teristics  just  as  with  the  great  majority  of 


of  New  England  151 

the  people.  But  there  was  a  rare  and  gener 
ous  manhood  manifest  through  all  the  trying 
situations  in  which  they  were  placed. 

Mr.  James  Davenport  was  caught  by  the 
wave  of  emotionalism  which  passed  over 
New  England  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 
Under  the  spell  of  his  strange  enchantment 
people  brought  to  him  their  wigs,  cloaks, 
breeches,  hoods,  gowns,  rings,  necklaces,  and 
other  precious  or  beautiful  articles,  that  he 
might  destroy  them  by  fire  and  thus  save 
them  from  further  temptations  to  worldli- 
ness.  On  March  6th,  1743,  he  gathered 
many  people  upon  the  wharf  in  New  London. 
They  brought  with  them  such  books  as  he 
had  anathematized,  books  of  travel,  amuse 
ment,  poetry;  books  that  interpreted  the 
worldly  sentiments  and  experiences  of  men. 
A  sort  of  funeral  pyre  was  constructed. 
Then  the  valuable  mass  of  literature  was 
fired.  Meanwhile  the  throng  gathered  about 


152         The  Colonial  Parson 

the  blazing  books  singing  "Hallelujah!" 
and  "Glory  to  God!"  Now  Mr.  Davenport 
was  "  a  very  fair  sort"  of  a  man.  The  error 
of  his  way  was  made  manifest  to  him  at  a 
later  date.  He  therefore  changed  his  course, 
came  forth  bravely  into  the  public  gaze  to 
set  the  matter  right,  and  sought  by  manly 
conduct  to  undo  the  harm  which  had  been 
wrought  by  his  strange  vagaries. 

There  were  many  occasions  on  which  these 
men  made  mistakes  and  fell  into  grievous 
errors.  They  never  claimed  infallibility. 
At  the  same  time  one  observed  a  laudable 
and  fruitful  readiness  to  acknowledge  faults 
and  rectify  mistakes. 

The  difficulties  that  beset  the  parson  in  his 
domestic  affairs  have  been  narrated  with  ex 
haustive  particularity.  But  we  are  not  to 
think  of  him  as  worse  off  than  many  of  his 
parishioners.  People  lived  according  to 
their  "means,"  and  that  signified  a  certain 


of  New  England  153 

narrowness  that  was  not  without  its  compen 
sations.  The  poverty  of  the  minister  was 
often  a  fair  example  of  the  poverty  that 
featured  the  day.  The  coin  in  which  the 
minister  received  his  pay  was  simply  the 
"current  coin  of  the  realm,"  namely,  com 
mon  produce  of  one  sort  or  another.  When 
James  Pierpont  was  called  to  New  Haven  it 
was  voted  to  pay  him  annually,  "  while  he 
shall  preach  the  word  of  God  to  us,  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  in  grain 
and  flesh,"  and  "to  supply  him  with  fire 
wood  annually." 

Many  of  the  parsons  were  quite  "  well-to- 
do."  They  had  a  fair  proportion  of  this 
world's  goods.  By  inheritance,  by  mar 
riage,  or  by  management  they  came  into 
possession  of  goodly  properties  so  that  their 
estates  appear  to  advantage  on  the  records 
of  the  probate  court.  Joseph  Webb  had  ex 
pensive  clothes.  The  inventory  of  his  estate 


154         The  Colonial  Parson 

mentions  a  black  broadcloth  coat  worth  six 
pounds ;  vest  and  breeches,  two  pounds  and 
a  half;  vest  with  silver  buckles,  three  pounds 
and  four  shillings  and  sixpence,  and  other 
personal  gear  to  match. 

The  inventory  of  the  estate  left  by  Charles 
Chauncey,  of  Strathfield,  reveals  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  man  of  substance.  His  cloak  was 
valued  at  four  pounds,  his  black  coat  at  three 
pounds,  two  nightcaps  and  two  gowns  at  two 
pounds  eleven  shillings  and  sixpence,  a  look 
ing-glass  and  silver-headed  cane  at  three 
pounds  and  ten  shillings.  There  are  also 
silver  spoons,  cups,  tankards,  and  gold  rings. 
The  inventory  comes  to  nine  hundred  and 
sixty-five  pounds. 

Samuel  Cooke,  of  Strathfield,  seems  to  have 
worn  better  clothes  and  gathered  a  larger 
property  than  the  majority  of  his  minis 
terial  brethren.  His  estate  amounted  to 
twenty-seven  hundred  and  eighty-five  pounds 


of  New  England  155 

sterling,  with  thirty  pounds  of  tobacco 
added. 

The  pair  of  "lether"  breeches  with  silver 
buttons  must  have  been  very  substantial 
and  elegant,  for  they  were  valued  at  nine 
pounds  and  ten  shillings.  Fine  stockings 
were  evidently  a  weakness  with  him, 
for  several  kinds  are  enumerated.  His 
preaching  Bible  was  set  down  at  three 
pounds  and  fifteen  shillings,  his  large 
Bible  at  four  pounds,  his  Hebrew  Bible 
at  five  pounds,  his  Concordance  at  six 
pounds. 

Such  records  do  not  give  one  the  impres 
sion  that  these  parsons  were  poverty- 
stricken.  When  Washington  on  one  of  his 
trips  through  Connecticut  stopped  for  sup 
per  at  Milford,  they  gave  him  a  broken 
pewter  spoon  with  which  to  eat  his 
bread  and  milk.  So  he  handed  the  wait 
ing-maid  two  shillings  and  bade  her  go 


156         The  Colonial  Parson 

to  the  minister's  house  and  borrow  a  silver 
spoon. 

True  it  is  that  eccentricity  sometimes 
manifested  itself  among  the  ministers. 
There  was  the  parson  who  preached  in  his 
stocking-feet,  and  the  one  who  preached  in 
his  study  coat ;  the  parson  who  ran  a  distil 
lery  and  the  one  that  covered  his  face  with  a 
black  handkerchief ;  there  was  the  lazy  par 
son  who  made  his  people  sing  the  longest 
psalm  while  he  withdrew  and  rested  under 
the  trees  on  a  summer's  day;  and  the  one 
who  did  not  venture  into  his  pulpit  through 
some  haunting  impression  that  he  would  die 
in  it,  escaping  this  peril  by  preaching  in 
front  of  the  desk.  But  it  would  not  be  fair 
to  say  that  eccentricity  was  an  especial  char 
acteristic  of  the  parson  class.  Queer  peo 
ple  get  into  all  vocations.  The  conspicuous 
station  of  the  minister  made  his  eccentrici 
ties  more  noteworthy  and  memorable. 


of  New  England  157 

"...  The  elements 

So  mix'd  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  This  was  a  man." 

Although  the  trials  and  besettnents  of  his 
position  were  great,  he  still  retained  his  alle 
giance  to  a  noble  ideal  of  character.  His 
office  was  not  allowed  to  belittle  his  man 
hood.  Just  as  he  was  counted  simply  a 
brother  workman  in  the  local  church,  so  was 
he  kindred  spirit  in  the  social  fabric  of  the 
land. 

"A  minister,  but  still  a  man." 


THE 

PARSON 

AS  AN  ANCESTOR 


THE   PARSON   AS  AN   ANCESTOR. 

AN  atmosphere  of  romance  pervaded  the 
life  of  many  a  parson.  The  love  experiences 
of  these  staid,  decorous  individuals  were 
marked  by  the  same  fascinations  that  draw 
us  to  the  story  of  every  passionate  lover. 

The  feeling  prevailed  through  colonial 
society  that  the  maiden  was  well  married 
who  married  a  minister.  There  were  excep 
tions.  The  father  of  Priscilla  Thomas,  of 
Marshfield,  did  not  wish  his  daughter  to 
marry  Noah  Hobart,  a  poor  theologue,  pre 
ferring  that  she  form  an  alliance  with  a  man 
of  property  like  John  Watson,  of  Plymouth. 
But  the  majority  of  people  were  well  dis 
posed  toward  the  parson  when  he  came  to 
court  some  daughter  in  the  family.  It  was 

taken  as  an  honor  that  he  showed  such  inter- 
ii  161 


1 62         The  Colonial  Parson 

est  and  discrimination.  The  parson  being 
the  chief  individual  in  the  parish,  it  was  con 
ceded  that  a  sort  of  social  leadership  be 
longed  by  right  to  his  wife.  There  were 
ladies,  not  a  few,  who  were  glad  to  submit  to 
poverty  as  part  of  the  price  for  a  position  in 
the  parsonage. 

Then  it  was  a  life  with  numerous  sweet 
and  peculiar  compensations  which  was  led 
by  the  parson's  family.  There  was  scarcely 
anything  of  private  or  public  concern  which 
occurred  that  the  minister  and  his  family 
did  not  share  liberally  in  it.  If  there  was 
one  class  of  people  through  all  these  days  of 
colonial  life  that  kept  unweariedly  in  the 
current  of  events  it  was  the  parson  class. 
Who  does  not  feel  the  attractions  of  such 
opportunity? 

It  is  also  true  that  many  of  the  amenities 
of  life  centred  in  the  minister's  home.  It 
seems  to  us  that  it  was  a  bare  and  repug- 


of  New  England  163 

nant  experience  into  which  our  forefathers 
plunged,  but  they  never  reckoned  it  in  such 
terms.  The  few  books ;  the  household  stuff 
that  spake  of  refinement ;  the  prevailing  at 
mosphere  of  high  thought  and  devout  aspi 
ration  ;  the  healthful  activity  of  body,  mind, 
and  soul  characteristic  of  the  parson's  home 
life;  the  manifold  good  influences  which 
became  synonymous  with  the  parsonage 
household;  these  things  all  served  to  com 
mand  the  respect  and  win  the  friendly  inter 
est  of  the  community.  If  there  was  one 
family  more  than  another  that  belonged  to 
everybody,  that  had  its  concerns  thoroughly 
discussed  by  the  general  public,  that  was 
subjected  to  incessant  and  especial  watch- 
care  on  the  part  of  all  classes  and  conditions 
of  men,  that  particular  family  was  sure  to 
be  the  minister's. 

While    such    oversight    and   interference 
might  prove  objectionable  to   some  people, 


164         The  Colonial  Parson 

it  was  not  only  taken  as  a  matter  of  course 
by  the  parsons,  but  it  soon  came  to  be 
reckoned  as  partial  compensation  for  his 
labors.  People  felt  that  they  did  him 
honor  and  put  him  tinder  loving  obligation 
when  they  proceeded  to  advise  him  in  re 
spect  to  domestic  as  well  as  parish  matters. 
It  is  not  every  man  that  is  worth  such  con 
sideration  that  all  his  movements  and  expe 
riences  (the  family  being  included)  have 
vital  interest  for  an  entire  community. 

Last,  and  by  no  means  least,  in  this  enu 
meration  of  attractions  we  mention  the  par 
sons  themselves.  They  were  rugged,  hearty 
individuals ;  thoroughly  educated  (according 
to  the  opportunities  of  the  day) ;  disciplined 
into  a  fair  command  of  circumstances ;  pos 
sessed  of  the  many  virtues  which  made 
manhood  genuine  and  esteemable;  withal 
consecrated  to  the  supreme  tasks  of  a  relig 
ious  ministry,  a  thing  which  makes  insistent 


of  New  England  165 

appeal  to  the  finer  and  nobler  instincts  of 
womankind.  And  it  were  needless  to  say 
that  these  parsons  averaged  well  with  their 
brother  men  in  respect  to  the  gracious 
and  beautiful  impulses  of  the  purest  affec 
tion.  The  love  history  of  these  men, 
therefore,  is  one  that  glows  with  a  singular 
charm. 

What  a  sweet  love  story  is  the  courtship 
of  Jonathan  Edwards!  It  was  when  Sarah 
Pierpont  was  only  thirteen  years  old  and 
Edwards  twenty  that  he  wrote  his  exquisite 
characterization  of  the  rare  maiden. 

"  They  say  there  is  a  young  lady  in  New 
Haven  who  is  beloved  of  that  great  Being 
who  made  and  rules  the  world,  and  that 
there  are  certain  seasons  in  which  this  great 
Being,  in  some  way  or  other  invisible,  comes 
to  her  and  fills  her  mind  with  exceeding 
sweet  delight,  and  that  she  hardly  cares  for 
anything  except  to  meditate  on  Him;  that 


1 66         The  Colonial  Parson 

she  expects  after  a  while  to  be  received  up 
where  He  is,  to  be  raised  up  out  of  the  world 
and  caught  up  in  heaven,  being  assured  that 
He  loves  her  too  well  to  let  her  remain  at  a 
distance  from  Him  always.  There  she  is  to 
dwell  with  Him  and  to  be  ravished  with  His 
love  and  delight  forever.  Therefore,  if  you 
present  all  the  world  before  her,  with  the 
riches  of  its  treasures,  she  disregards  and 
cares  not  for  it,  and  is  unmindful  of  any 
pain  or  affliction.  She  has  a  strange  sweet 
ness  in  her  mind,  and  singular  purity  in  her 
affections ;  is  most  just  and  conscientious  in 
all  her  conduct ;  and  you  could  not  persuade 
her  to  do  anything  wrong  or  sinful,  if  you 
would  give  her  all  the  world,  lest  she  should 
offend  this  great  Being.  She  is  of  a  wonder 
ful  calmness,  and  universal  benevolence  of 
mind.  She  will  sometimes  go  about  from 
place  to  place  singing  sweetly,  and  seems  to 
be  always  full  of  joy  and  pleasure,  and  no 


of  New  England  167 

one  knows  for  what.  She  loves  to  be  alone, 
walking  in  the  fields  and  groves,  and  seems 
to  have  some  one  invisible  always  convers 
ing  with  her. " 

What  a  lofty  conception  of  character  was 
this  on  the  part  of  the  lover !  And  when  the 
proper  time  comes  he  wooes  her  with  all  the 
passionate  devotion  of  the  most  ardent  soul. 
Urging  a  speedy  marriage,  he  writes  her 
that  "  patience  is  commonly  esteemed  a  vir 
tue,  but  in  this  case  I  may  almost  regard  it 
as  a  vice." 

She  was  only  seventeen  when  married; 
but  it  was  one  of  the  most  notable  and 
happy  unions  in  colonial  days.  She  filled 
the  home  with  sunshine,  she  made  an  at 
mosphere  of  gladness,  she  quickened  every 
heart  that  came  within  the  circle  of  her 
gracious  and  noble  influence.  "  A  sweeter 
couple  I  have  never  seen,"  wrote  "Whitfield 
after  a  visit  to  them  at  Northampton.  And 


T68         The  Colonial  Parson 

Whittier,    in   exquisite   verse,    dwells   upon 
this  sweet  and  blessed  experience : 

"Had  he  not  seen  in  the  solitudes 
Of  his  deep  and  dark  Northampton  woods 
A  vision  of  love  about  him  fall? 
Not  the  blinding  splendor  which  fell  on  Saul, 
But  the  tenderer  glory  that  rests  on  them 
Who  walk  in  the  new  Jerusalem, 
Where  never  the  sun  nor  moon  are  known, 
But  the  Lord  and  His  love  are  the  light  alone. 
And  watching  the  still,  sweet  countenance 
Of  the  wife  of  his  bosom  rapt  in  trance, 
Had  he  not  treasured  each  broken  word 
Of  the  mystical  wonder  seen  and  heard ; 
And  loved  the  beautiful  dreamer  more 
That  thus  to  the  desert  of  earth  she  bore 
Clusters  of  Eschol  from  Canaan's  shore?" 

The  love-story  of  Nathaniel  Appleton  is 
more  dramatic.  He  became  infatuated  with 
the  daughter  of  Parson  Gibbs,  of  Watertown. 
It  is  said  that  her  attractions  invited  other 
suitors,  so  that  young  Appleton  became  dis 
tressed.  One  day  he  called  and  saw  a  rival's 
horse  fastened  nigh  the  gate.  It  took  him 


of  New  England  169 

but  a  moment  to  set  the  animal  loose  and 
scourge  it  into  a  wild  gallop  off  toward  the 
woods.  He  then  entered  the  house  and  in 
formed  the  owner  of  the  departed  horse  that 
he  saw  the  animal  running  with  all  his  might 
into  the  dim  distance.  Thus  rid  of  the  in 
truder,  he  proceeded  to  finish  his  business, 
and  exact  a  promise  of  marriage  from  the 
object  of  his  affections. 

One  is  impressed  with  the  fact  that  love's 
ways  or  impulses  are  much  alike  the  world 
over,  and  that  these  young  parsons,  and  often 
these  old  parsons,  thoroughly  appreciated 
the  witchery  of  a  lively,  adventurous  court 
ship. 

We  note  an  occasional  exception.  Wil 
liam  Adams,  son  of  Eliphalet  (also  a  par 
son),  preached  for  more  than  sixty  years, 
but  he  never  married  or  submitted  to  ordi 
nation,  saying  that  he  would  not  be  bothered 
with  a  wife  or  a  parish. 


170         The  Colonial  Parson 

A  good  many  of  these  favored  men  mar 
ried  into  the  parish.  They  were  settled, 
and  then  came  the  time  when  they  might 
wisely  consider  the  choice  of  a  helpmeet. 
The  natural  supposition  would  be  that  the 
young  ladies  who  paid  closest  attention  to 
the  sermon  and  took  most  active  part  in  par 
ish  work  would  win  the  heart  and  hand  of 
the  new  minister.  But  love  is  a  very  curi 
ous  and  inexplicable  spring  of  action.  It 
was  the  unexpected  that  happened  on  many 
of  these  interesting  occasions. 

Many  of  the  young  students  took  a  course 
in  love  as  well  as  theology  when  they  tarried 
in  some  minister's  family  preparatory  to  set 
tlement.  The  parson's  daughter  was  an 
especial  favorite  with  the  theologue  in  his 
matrimonial  arrangements. 

Three  of  Thomas  Hooker's  daughters  mar 
ried  parsons.  Edward  Taylor,  of  Deerfield, 
married  a  minister's  daughter,  and  he  had 


of  New  England  171 

five  daughters  that  became  ministers'  wives. 
These  girls,  reared  in  the  minister's  house 
hold,  knew  all  the  ins  and  outs  of  his  life,  so 
we  infer  that  a  parson's  life  had  peculiar  at 
tractions  for  them,  else  they  had  given  the 
mitten  to  their  parson  suitors. 

The  discipline  characteristic  of  training  in 
the  parsonage  was  a  thing  of  incalculable 
advantage  to  the  young  minister.  It  is  a 
fact  that  many  a  parson  began  his  work  with 
far  less  practical  knowledge  of  the  difficul 
ties  in  the  way  than  that  possessed  by  his 
parsonage-bred  wife.  She  brought  him  a 
wealth  of  experience  infinitely  helpful.  Had 
she  not  heard  parish  matters  discussed,  had 
she  not  heard  these  things  talked  over  with 
all  wearisome  detail  until  she  grew  tired 
of  the  strain  and  grew  wise  in  self-control? 
So  she  brought  him  as  part  of  her  dowry  a 
certain  accumulation  of  experiences.  The 
young  couple  drew  upon  this  treasured  re- 


The  Colonial  Parson 


serve  and  showed  themselves  on  numerous 
occasions  "  wise  as  serpents  and  harmless  as 
doves.  " 

Moses  Hemmenway,  of  Wells,  whose  pas 
torate  extended  through  fifty-five  years, 
married  the  daughter  of  his  predecessor. 
They  had  five  sons  and  six  daughters. 
Jason  Haven,  of  Dedham,  married  Catherine 
Dexter,  daughter  of  the  former  minister. 
An  examination  of  old  records  might  lead 
the  uninitiated  to  infer  that  there  was  some 
thing  obligatory  in  this  marrying  of  minis 
ter's  widows  or  daughters,  but  in  reality  it 
was  simply  an  illustration  of  free-will  and 
foreordination  most  happily  blended  in  the 
lives  of  its  chief  antagonists  and  apostles. 

If  the  new  minister  could  not  marry  the 
widow  or  the  daughter  of  a  parson,  he  was 
quite  sure  to  take  the  lady  that  had  not 
been  elected  to  the  position  of  parson's 
wife  by  the  people.  Happy  the  man  who 


of  New  England  173 

brought  his  spouse  with  him  when  he  moved 
into  the  parish  and  assumed  his  duties. 

The  parsons  not  only  married  into  the 
"best  families,"  but  the  "best  families"  be 
longed  to  the  parsons.  Not  that  they  made 
much  of  this  fact  or  said  a  great  deal  about 
it,  but  it  came  to  be  accepted  as  one  of  the 
conditions  of  life  here  in  the  New  England 
colonies.  The  leading  men  other  than  par 
sons  came  to  be  the  parson's  father-in-law 
or  son-in-law  or  brother-in-law,  or  his  close 
blood  kinsman.  This  occasioned  the  criti 
cism  in  the  mother,  country  that  New  Eng 
land  was  run  by  the  parsons  and  their  fami 
lies,  a  fact  which  could  not  be  refuted,  which 
the  majority  of  the  colonists  did  not  wish  to 
evade  or  change. 

Samuel  Whiting,  of  Lynn,  married  the 
daughter  of  England's  Chief -Justice  in 
Cromwell's  day.  William  Hooke,  of  New 
Haven,  was  cousin  by  marriage  to  Cromwell 


174         The  Colonial  Parson 

and  brother-in-law  to  Whalley  the  regicide. 
John  Rogers,  of  Ipswich,  took  for  a  wife 
Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  General  Denni- 
son. 

Bearing  these  things  in  mind  we  see  that 
he  was  a  very  important  person  when  con 
sidered  simply  as  an  ancestor. 

The  early  days  were  times  when  children 
flocked  to  the  homes  of  the  colonists  some 
thing  as  doves  flock  to  the  towers  of  Venice. 
John  Sherman,  who  came  to  Connecticut  in 
1634,  was  twice  married,  and  he  is  said  to 
have  been  the  father  of  twenty-six  children. 
Was  not  this  a  literal  fulfilment  of  the 
Psalmist's  words,  "  Lo,  children  are  a  heri 
tage  of  the  Lord.  .  .  .  Happy  is  the  man 
that  hath  his  quiver  full  of  them!" 

One  can  but  feel  that  the  cup  of  joy 
must  have  continually  overflowed  for  these 
respected  ancients,  since  their  families  were 
almost  uniformly  large.  Peter  Bulkly  had 


of  New  England  175 

fifteen  children ;  Peter  Hobart,  eleven ;  Presi 
dent  Chauncey,  eight ;  Increase  Mather,  ten ; 
Samuel  Danforth,  twelve;  John  Higginson, 
nine ;  Samuel  Treat,  thirteen ;  Edward  Tay 
lor,  fourteen;  Cotton  Mather,  fifteen.  We 
might  continue  this  enumeration,  but  it  is 
enough  to  observe  that  while  the  usual  vari 
ations  occurred  in  these  families  they  were 
almost  uniformly  families  of  large  dimen 
sions. 

This  was  an  important  fact  considered 
from  the  view-point  of  intellectuality.  The 
parson's  numerous  offspring  had  the  use  of 
his  books,  the  influence  of  his  studious  ex 
ample,  not  less  than  an  inherited  bias  toward 
the  intellectual  life,  and  resources  that  were 
wisely  and  consistently  developed.  We 
therefore  feel  assured  that  conditions  favor 
able  to  a  high  type  of  manhood  resulted. 

It  is  one  of  the  fanciful  opinions  current 
in  society  that  the  sons  of  ministers  do  not 


176         The  Colonial  Parson 

turn  out  well.  They  average  better  than 
their  competitors.  Consider  how  many  of 
these  sons  entered  the  ministry.  Four 
sons  of  John  Eliot  studied  theology,  one  of 
them  dying  ere  he  entered  the  pastorate. 
Two  of  Cotton's  sons  and  two  of  Hooker's 
became  parsons.  Thomas  Shepard  reared 
three  parsons;  Peter  Bulkly,  four;  Peter 
Hobart,  four ;  Samuel  Whiting,  three ;  Rich 
ard  Mather,  four.  These  are  a  few  worthy 
examples  of  a  large  and  interesting  number 
of  cases.  The  sons  followed  the  ministry 
with  a  faithfulness  that  evokes  our  praise 
and  gratitude. 

It  is  pleasant  to  note  that  the  ministerial 
bent  was  manifest  in  these  families  to  such 
extent  that  it  resulted  in  what  might  be 
termed  the  parson  caste.  Fathers,  sons, 
grandsons,  with  their  ministerial  associates 
formed  a  cultivated  and  influential  class  in 
the  state.  With  all  the  difficulties  that  beset 


of  New  England  177 

the  minister  in  his  work,  he  managed  to  hold 
his  own  among*  the  people  and  impress  him 
self  with  energy  upon  the  mind  and  heart  of 
society.  Any  revolt  against  his  leadership 
was  generally  individual.  The  colonists  put 
their  confidence  in  him  and  it  was  honored. 

Not  a  few  of  our  ministers  to-day  are  in 
heritors  of  these  precious  life  tendencies. 
Richard  Salter  Storrs,  D.D.,  is  the  third 
minister  in  direct  descent  who  bears  the 
worthy  name.  The  great-grandfather,  a 
Connecticut  product,  was  a  pastor  for  many 
years  and  served  as  chaplain  in  the  Revo 
lution.  The  services  rendered  to  church 
and  state  by  the  present  possessor  of  the 
name  emphasize  the  fact  that  Richard  Salter 
Storrs  embodies  the  best  traditions  and  in 
carnates  the  vital  spirit  regnant  in  the  life 
of  the  past. 

It  is  a  long  and  interesting  chronicle. 
These  parsons'  sons  took  up  the  work  of  the 


178         The  Colonial  Parson 

fathers  and  sustained  it  with  credit  and  abil 
ity.  There  were  generations  after  genera 
tions  of  Cottons,  Stoddards,  Mathers,  Wil- 
liamses,  Cleavelands,  Eliots,  Higginsons, 
Emersons,  Davenports,  Rogerses,  Chaun- 
ceys,  Adamses,  Stones,  Smiths,  and  other 
families  too  numerous  to  mention,  that  con 
tinued  to  serve  in  the  ministry  and  still  con 
tinue  their  services,  adding  strength  to  the 
nation  and  the  kingdom  of  God. 

What  a  company  of  magnificent  men  have 
carried  with  them  the  great  inheritances  of 
Edwards  and  Dwight!  The  old  New  Eng 
land  parson  keeps  reappearing  with  his 
noblest  instincts,  his  finest  impulses,  his 
largest  endowments,  his  grandest  achieve 
ments.  It  is  told  of  Edwards  that  when  he 
was  dying  he  lifted  his  soul  in  prayer  to  God, 
consecrating  his  descendants  to  the  Master's 
service,  beseeching  God  to  bless  them  unto 
the  latest  generations.  May  we  not  believe 


of  New  England  179 

that  his  prayer  has  been  a  precious  factor  in 
the  notable  services  of  the  men  and  women 
inheriting  his  gifts? 

But  we  are  not  to  think  that  the  blessings 
of  such  ancestry  confine  themselves  to  the 
ministry.  The  various  departments  of  life 
show  the  enrichment  of  character  and  the 
transmission  of  power  peculiar  to  the  parson. 
The  business  interests  of  the  nation  are  in 
volved  in  these  noble  legacies. 

It  is  Mr.  Hackit  in  "  Scenes  from  Clerical 
Life"  that  observes:  "I  never  saw  the  like 
to  parsons;  they're  al'ys  for  meddling  with 
business,  an'  they  know  no  more  about  it 
than  my  black  filly."  Mr.  Bond  expresses 
the  prevailing  opinion  when  he  says  that 
"  they're  too  high  learnt  to  have  much  com 
mon-sense. "  Nevertheless  abundant  proofs 
satisfy  one  that  parsons  average  well  in  the 
management  of  affairs,  that  often  they  show 
special  aptitude  for  business,  and  that  com- 


i8o         The  Colonial  Parson 

mon-sense  is  not  an  uncommon  characteris 
tic  of  the  class.  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  main 
tained  that  skill  in  any  pursuit  in  life  did 
not  depend  upon  special  faculties,  but  upon 
the  aggregate  amount  of  mental  power. 
The  colonial  parson  was  often  known  as  a 
famous  manager,  and  he  transmitted  to 
many  a  son  and  daughter  an  inheritance  of 
capacity  for  business  that  was  noteworthy. 
It  was  not  alone  that  his  children  and  their 
descendants  achieved  great  things  in  mak 
ing  a  small  income  stretch  to  large  propor 
tions,  but  it  was  likewise  the  fact  that  the 
children  took  conspicuous  places  in  the  trade, 
commerce,  and  enterprise  of  the  land. 

William  E.  Dodge  was  one  of  the  success 
ful  men  of  the  past  generation.  Some  fair 
measure  of  his  success  reverts  to  Parson 
Cleaveland.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  is  eminent 
among  the  financiers  of  the  world  to-day. 
His  given  name  witnesses  to  his  heirship  of 


of  New  England  181 

intellectual  force  from  the  parson-poet,  John 
Pierpont,  and  the  parson-scholar,  James 
Pierpont. 

Professor  Silliman,  the  famous  scentific 
scholar,  and  Benjamin  D.  Silliman,  the  emi 
nent  and  venerated  lawyer,  number  several 
parsons  among  their  ancestors.  Jedidiah 
Mills  and  Dr.  David  Ely,  pastors  for  nearly 
a  century  in  Huntington,  are  among  their 
progenitors.  A.  M.  Fish,  of  Stonington, 
was  another  contributor  to  their  line.  Many 
a  story  of  service,  devotion,  courage,  scholar 
ship,  and  power,  modestly  told  by  the  biog 
raphers  of  these  early  parsons,  repeats  itself 
with  precious  embellishment  and  luminous 
commentary  in  the  lives  of  these  later  men 
of  mark. 

The  parson  has  continued  his  literary 
career  not  only  in  the  person  of  his  ministe 
rial  descendant  but  quite  as  notably  in  the 
person  of  the  man  of  letters.  The  intellec- 


1 82         The  Colonial  Parson 

tital  activity  manifest  in  the  New  England 
colonies  was  largely  an  expression  of  life  in 
the  parsonage.  So  the  children  took  to 
making  books. 

The  men  that  have  made  impressions  upon 
the  literary  world  in  America  have  come  in 
a  majority  of  cases  from  New  England ;  and 
these  writers  have  been  in  the  majority  of 
cases  heirs  of  the  parson.  Eimerson  is  the 
cultured  product  of  a  long  line  of  ministers. 
We  render  him  our  first  homage,  for  he  em 
bodies  much  of  the  old-time,  fresh,  independ 
ent,  forceful  thinking.  James  Russell  Low 
ell,  poet,  statesman,  scholar,  essayist,  is 
another  choice  plucking  of  parson  fruitage. 
His  father  was  an  honored  minister  of  Bos 
ton,  and  his  great-grandfather  was  the  first 
minister  of  Newburyport.  That  fineness  of 
taste  and  delicacy  of  sentiment  characteristic 
of  the  poet  may  be  counted  as  inheritances 
from  these  men.  Aaron  Bancroft,  father  of 


of  New  England  183 

the  historian,  George  Bancroft,  was  for 
many  years  the  pastor  of  a  Congregational 
church  in  Worcester.  The  historian  Hil- 
dreth  is  the  son  of  a  minister,  although  the 
line  does  not  go  back  to  the  colonial  period. 
Francis  Parkman  writes  with  the  vivid 
ness  and  insight  of  a  man  who  has  learned 
to  master  language  and  pierce  down  into  the 
hidden  sources  of  events.  His  father  was  a 
minister  and  his  great-grandfather  was  the 
first  pastor  in  Westborough,  serving  his  par 
ish  sixty-five  years,  dying  at  the  ripe  age 
of  eighty-six.  John  Lothrop  Motley  was 
named  for  a  parson  grandsire  of  colonial 
days;  while  Samuel  Checkley,  another  an 
cestor,  served  as  a  preacher  in  early  New 
England.  Edmund  Clarence  Stedman  car 
ries  with  him  into  his  prose  and  poesy  the 
ancestral  influences  of  Aaron  Cleveland,  an 
honored  and  useful  poet-preacher  of  the  last 
century.  Thomas  Wentworth  Higginson  is 


1 84         The  Colonial  Parson 

the  modern  representative  of  that  staunch 
parson,  the  first  Francis  Higginson,  who 
served  the  church  in  Salem  with  conspicuous 
ability. 

Edward  Everett  Hale,  like  the  old  parson 
of  New  England,  takes  active  part  in  the 
manifold  tasks  of  private  and  public  life. 
The  example  to  such  service  was  set  him  by 
his  colonial  parson-ancestor,  John  Hale,  of 
Beverly,  a  man  who  re-appears  in  eminent 
physicians,  soldiers,  journalists,  scholars  as 
well  as  ministers.  A.  Bronson  Alcott  reaches 
back  through  one  line  of  ancestry  to  Nicho 
las  Street,  the  father,  and  Samuel  Street,  the 
son.  These  worthy  men  fathered  descend 
ants  that  have  taken  very  conspicuous  part 
in  various  spheres  of  service.  Art,  educa 
tion,  business,  the  law,  the  ministry;  they 
have  all  received  notable  contributions  from 
the  Street  family.  In  connection  with  the 
inheritances  of  Alcott,  we  call  to  mind  the 


of  New  England  185 

literary  success  of  his  daughter,  Louisa  M. 
Alcott,  who  is  the  sixth  generation  from 
Samuel  Street,  of  Wallingford. 

Fitz-Greene  Halleck  was  once  a  name 
revered  and  honored  among  the  poets.  One 
of  the  first  singers  to  sound  in  America  a 
sweet,  clear  note  of  true  poesy,  he  was  pecul 
iarly  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  generation 
past.  It  was  a  Pilgrim  and  Puritan  ances 
try  that  prepared  him  for  his  life  work.  John 
Eliot,  the  "apostle  to  the  Indians,"  was  a 
contributor  to  his  personality  on  the  mother's 
side. 

In  his  biography  of  Nathaniel  P.  Willis, 
Professor  Beers  writes  that  "probably  the 
most  noteworthy  of  the  poet's  forebears,  at 
least  upon  the  father's  side,  was  the  Rev. 
John  Bailey,"  first  minister  over  the  church 
in  Watertown  and  later  the  associate  minis 
ter  over  the  First  Church  of  Boston.  "  What 
more  can  a  man  ask  for  in  an  ancestor?" 


UNiVh 


1 86         The  Colonial  Parson 

continues  the  biographer.  "  No  New  Eng 
land  pedigree  which  respects  itself  is  with 
out  one  or  more  fine  old  Puritan  divines  of 
this  kind." 

A  noble  stock  of  parson  ancestors  trans 
mitted  their  gifts  to  Donald  G.  Mitchell. 
Alfred  Mitchell,  of  Norwich;  Stephen  Mix, 
of  Wethersfield;  Solomon  Stoddard,  of 
Northampton ;  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  of  Nor 
wich;  the  Woodbridges,  of  New  London, 
Groton,  Wethersfield,  and  Andover;  John 
Ward,  of  Andover;  and  Elder  William 
Brewster,  of  the  Mayflower ;  what  a  com 
pany  of  great  souls !  And  they  are  worthily 
interpreted  by  this  son  who  has  wrought 
with  faithful  spirit  in  the  field  of  letters. 

These  parsons  did  not  possess  the  abun 
dance  of  books  that  feature  modern  days  in 
New  England,  but  they  had  choice  collec 
tions  of  standard  works,  and  they  mastered 
the  few  books  that  came  into  the  parsonage. 


of  New  England  187 

But  this  literary  impulse  was  especially 
nourished  and  encouraged  by  thorough 
familiarity  with  the  Bible.  The  saying  of 
Emerson,  that  we  are  to  beware  of  the  man 
of  one  book,  brings  to  mind  the  culture 
manifest  and  the  power  evoked  among  these 
colonial  parsons.  The  Bible  was  the  one 
book  with  them,  and  it  was  a  vast,  pre 
cious,  inspiring  literature  common  to  every 
inmate  of  the  minister's  home.  Its  history, 
stories,  ethics,  statesmanship,  and  poetry,  not 
less  than  its  theology,  metaphysics,  and  re 
ligion  fed  the  people,  quickened  lofty  senti 
ment,  filled  the  mind  with  beautiful  imagery, 
fostered  the  spirit  of  intellectual  and  moral 
activity.  The  hidden  sources  of  mental  and 
spiritual  life  were  continuously  strength 
ened  and  enlarged  through  these  genera 
tions  of  pioneer  experience.  A  remarkable 
energy,  fruitfulness,  adaptability,  and  leader 
ship  in  letters  was  the  natural,  happy  result. 


1 88         The  Colonial  Parson 

We  have  spoken  of  the  parson  as  a  states 
man.  A  good  deal  of  ministerial  blood  has 
flowed  into  numerous  descendants  who 
became  statesmen.  The  part  which  the 
minister  took  in  the  control  of  political  af 
fairs,  the  office  of  referee  to  which  he  was 
continually  chosen  when  the  magistrates 
and  legislators  wanted  advice  or  decision 
upon  important  matters,  was  a  sort  of  train 
ing  for  the  rising  generation.  The  boys 
heard  much  of  the  current  discussion.  They 
manifested  a  growing  interest  in  public  con 
cerns.  A  taste  for  political  life  was  native. 
The  opportunities  came  for  preferment.  It 
resulted  that  a  goodly  proportion  of  the  men 
who  conducted  affairs  of  state  came  from  the 
parson's  family. 

And  then  we  are  to  consider  that  a  certain 
bias  and  tendency  to  public  life  was  inher 
ited,  so  that  when  one  profession  did  not 
suit  the  individual  he  naturally  passed  over 


of  New  England  189 

into  another.  John  Hancock,  president  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  had  a  parson  for 
a  father  and  for  a  grandfather,  both  of  them 
named  John.  John  Adams  married  a  par 
son's  daughter,  so  that  John  Quincy  Adams, 
the  second  Adams  President  of  the  United 
States,  had  a  fair  measure  of  ministerial 
blood  running  through  his  veins. 

Grover  Cleveland,  the  twenty-second  Pres 
ident  of  the  United  States,  is  not  only  the 
son  of  a  minister,  but  Aaron  Cleveland,  of 
Connecticut,  a  minister  belonging  to  the  lat 
ter  part  of  the  eighteenth  and  the  first  part 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  was  one  of  his 
ancestors,  while  Aaron  Cleveland,  of  Massa 
chusetts  (who  was  born  in  1715),  was  an  ear 
lier  ancestor  and  a  very  conspicuous  parson. 

Mr.  Depew  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Charles  Chauncey,  of  Stratfield,  and  Justus 
Mitchell  who  married  the  sister  of  Judge 
Roger  M.  Sherman.  The  shining  qualities 


190        The  Colonial  Parson 

of  Aaron  Burr  are  universally  conceded. 
A  man  who  swerved  from  the  path  of  rec 
titude,  he  nevertheless  revealed  rare  powers. 
The  mental  force  of  the  senior  Burr  and  the 
grandfather,  Edwards,  were  strikingly  mani 
fest  in  his  character.  Samuel  Treat,  a  Con 
necticut  parson,  gave  to  statesmanship  his 
grandson,  Robert  Treat  Paine.  Colonel 
Humphreys,  poet  and  soldier,  close  friend 
of  Washington,  representative  of  our  country 
in  Portugal  and  Spain,  a  statesman  that 
served  the  nation  with  acceptance,  was  the 
son  of  Daniel  Humphreys,  a  worthy  Connec 
ticut  parson.  Other  examples  are  numer 
ous. 

The  longevity  of  the  parson  is  one  of  the 
noteworthy  facts  in  his  career.  "  With  long 
life  will  I  satisfy  thee"  was  a  promise  well 
kept.  No  other  class  of  men,  so  far  as  we 
know,  bears  favorable  comparison  in  this  re 
spect  with  the  colonial  parson.  It  did  seem 


of  New  England  191 

on  many  and  many  an  occasion  that  he 
would  never  die.  While  his  people  were  de 
votedly  attached  to  him,  his  usefulness  in 
the  pulpit  waned  with  the  waxing  years,  so 
that  the  desire  was  often  strong  on  the  part 
of  his  people  that  a  colleague  be  associated 
with  him.  This  was  done  in  a  great  many 
instances,  and  a  beautiful  custom  it  was 
to  keep  the  minister  unto  the  end  and  care 
for  him  with  loyal  affection  until  the  day  of 
his  final  departure. 

The  banner  pastorate  of  New  England  is 
credited  to  Laban  Ainsworth,  of  Jaffrey, 
New  Hampshire,  who  was  wedded  to  his 
church  for  a  period  of  seventy  years.  It  is 
said  that  on  one  occasion  when  his  salary 
was  raised,  he  hastened  to  decline  the  mark 
of  favor  and  good- will,  observing  that  it  was 
all  he  could  do  to  collect  his  present  salary, 
and  if  they  increased  it  the  consequence 
would  be  such  increased  labor  of  collection 


1 92         The  Colonial  Parson 

that  it  would  in  all  probability  completely 
undo  him.  He  was  in  the  nineties  when  he 
died. 

There  are  several  centenarian  ministers 
among  the  colonial  pastors.  Nathan  Birds- 
eye,  of  West  Haven  and  Oronoque,  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting.  He  attained  the 
ripe  age  of  one  hundred  and  three  years,  five 
months,  and  nine  days.  When  he  died  the 
whole  number  of  his  descendants  was  two 
hundred  and  fifty-eight,  two  hundred  and 
six  being  alive  at  the  time.  His  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  Thomas  Hawley,  colonial 
parson  in  Ridgefield.  They  journeyed  to 
gether  for  sixty-nine  years.  Illustrious 
names  are  among  the  number  of  their  de 
scendants. 

Nathaniel  Appleton,  of  Cambridge,  died  in 
his  ninety-first  year,  after  a  pastorate  of 
sixty-seven  years ;  Israel  Loring,  of  Sudbury, 
lived  ninety  years,  serving  his  church  during 


of  New  England  193 

sixty-six  of  them;  Benjamin  Lord,  of  Nor 
wich,  was  ninety  when  he  rested  from  his 
labors.  Eliab  Stone,  of  Reading,  died  dur 
ing  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  life  and  the 
sixty-second  of  his  ministry.  Benjamin 
Trumbull,  the  historian  and  patriot,  was 
sixty  years  a  preacher  and  attained  the  age 
of  eighty-five.  Noah  Williston,  of  West 
Haven,  was  in  his  seventy-eighth  year  when 
he  fell  asleep,  and  his  son  Payson,  of  East- 
hampton,  was  close  on  to  ninety-three  when 
the  end  came.  Dr.  Ripley,  of  Greens  Farms, 
drew  nigh  to  four-score  and  ten.  Isaac 
Lewis,  D.D.,  of  Greenwich,  deceased  at 
ninety-four.  Samuel  J.  Mills,  of  Torring- 
ford,  died  in  his  ninetieth  year.  Samuel 
Hopkins  was  a  preacher  for  sixty-one  years ; 
Joseph  Dana,  D.  D.,  of  Ipswich,  sixty-four 
years.  The  pastorate  of  Nathaniel  Emmons 
extended  through  sixty-seven  years,  and  he 

passed  on  to  the  great  majority  when  ninety- 
is 


194         The  Colonial  Parson 

five.  Thomas  Higginson  was  seventy-two 
years  in  the  ministry.  It  was  Nicolas  Noyes 
who  wrote  of  him : 

"Young  to  the  pulpit  he  did  get, 
And  seventy-two  years  in  't  did  sweat." 

In  1842  it  was  found  that  one  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  graduates  of  Harvard  had  at 
tained  or  passed  beyond  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  The  most  of  these  graduates  were 
ministers.  Seventeen  parsons  of  this  com 
pany  were  ninety  years  old  and  upward. 
Such  statistics  might  be  extended;  but 
enough  has  been  written  to  show  that  the 
parson  stands  at  the  head  of  the  class  when 
it  comes  to  a  question  of  longevity. 

It  is  evident  that  the  connection  is  inti 
mate  between  the  kind  of  a  life  that  he  lived 
and  the  length  of  years  with  which  he  was 
honored.  Piety  is  conducive  to  health,  en 
joyment,  and  age.  But  we  must  not  put  it 
to  the  account  of  piety  alone,  for  some  of  the 


of  New  England  195 

best  and  most-consecrated  parsons  were 
short-lived.  Brainerd,  Edwards,  Burr,  Pier- 
pont,  and  numerous  devout  and  zealous  min 
isters  were  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  their  days. 
A  factor  that  had  much  to  do  with  these 
long  stretches  of  years  was  the  varied  char 
acter  of  the  parson's  activities.  We  must 
not  forget  that  he  farmed  it ;  he  was  often  a 
brisk  man  of  business ;  and  social  relaxation 
absorbed  a  part  of  his  time.  We  look  with 
a  sort  of  humorous  indulgence  upon  the  way 
that  the  parsonage  family  went  out  to  tea 
and  mingled  continuously  with  the  people 
of  the  parish.  But  this  was  not  only  a  mode 
of  work ;  it  was  a  source  of  recreation.  The 
parson  unbent  on  these  occasions.  When  it 
was  necessary  he  went  into  the  field  and 
helped  about  the  mowing  and  the  reaping. 
He  could  turn  his  hand  to  the  plough,  the 
blacksmith's  anvil,  the  carpenter's  tools.  He 
was  able  to  teach  school,  assist  the  town 


196         The  Colonial  Parson 

clerk  in  his  business,  run  a  mill,  disentangle 
the  finances  of  a  country  store,  or  assist  at 
any  of  the  common  pursuits  incident  to  pio 
neer  life.  Fishing  and  hunting  were  forms 
of  out-door  exercise  which  everybody  en 
joyed  as  a  matter  of  course.  As  a  result 
these  good  men  must  necessarily  live  out 
their  days.  There  were  churches  not  a  few 
that  took  it  to  heart — the  fact  that  the  minis 
ter  did  live  so  long,  for  it  embarrassed  them. 
They  scarce  knew  what  to  do  with  him  when 
he  calmly  drifted  on  toward  the  nineties. 

That  is  a  pathetic  scene  which  Mr.  Aldrich 
describes  in  "Prudence  Palfrey,"  when  Par 
son  Hawkins  is  asked  to  resign  after  his  fifty 
years'  service.  "  We  tried  to  let  him  down 
easy,"  said  Deacon  Twembly,  "but,  Lord 
bless  you,  you  never  see  an  old  gentleman 
so  unwillin',  and  so  hard  to  be  let  down." 
The  poor  old  minister  went  into  his  study 
and  there  locked  himself  away  from  the 


of  New  England  197 

world.  As  the  hours  sped  he  still  continued 
in  his  retirement.  Finally  they  broke  open 
the  door.  "Dead,  they  found  him  sitting, 
the  Bible  open  on  his  knees,  and  his  ringer 
seemed  to  be  pointing  to  the  text  (some  read 
it  as  they  peeped  over  the  slanted  shoulder) ; 
'Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant; 
enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord. '"  And 
yet  these  old  parsons  were  beloved  by  their 
people  and  often  were  they  tenderly  sup 
ported. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  they  outlived 
their  usefulness  when  age  crept  upon  them 
and  they  were  unable  to  serve  their  parishes 
with  old-time  vigor.  They  tarried  among 
the  people,  scattering  blessings  on  every 
side.  Their  wonted  cheerfulness  was  like  a 
benediction  in  the  community.  Advice  was 
all  the  more  precious  that  it  had  been  tested 
through  many  years  of  loving  service.  Re* 
ligion  was  identified  to  a  large  extent  among 


198         The  Colonial  Parson 

the  young  with  the  beloved  and  estimable 
man  who  had  baptized,  married,  and  buried 
a  greater  or  less  proportion  of  the  whole  par 
ish.  So  the  good  man  lived — 

"In  his  allotted  home,  a  genuine  priest, 
The  shepherd  of  his  flock  ;  or  as  a  king 
Is  styled,  when  most  affectionately  praised, 
The  father  of  his  people." 


THE  COMPOSITE  PARSON 

OF 
COLONIAL  NEW  ENGLAND 


THE     COMPOSITE    PARSON    OF    CO 
LONIAL   NEW   ENGLAND. 

THE  art  of  photography  has  attained  such 
development  that  it  is  possible  to  compact 
the  many  features  of  a  great  company  into 
the  one  form  of  a  typical  head. 

Let  us  take  the  various  parsons  that  have 
contributed  their  portraits  to  this  our  gal 
lery  of  swift,  rough  etchings,  and  attempt  a 
composite  picture  of  the  colonial  parson  in 
New  England.  While  it  is  true  that  individ 
uals  are  stamped  with  the  dominant  qualities 
which  difference  them  from  their  neighbors, 
it  is  equally  true  that  they  possess  features 
in  common  that  give  a  sort  of  homogeneity 
to  their  class.  Certain  abounding  character 
istics  exist  which  make  instant  and  insistent 
appeal  to  the  onlooker. 

201 


202         The  Colonial  Parson 

This  particular  colonial  parson  embodies 
the  practical  and  the  spiritual.  He  must 
needs  be  a  practical  man,  for  he  is  plunged 
into  such  circumstances  and  is  forced  to  bat 
tle  with  such  conditions  that  the  Jack-at- 
all-trades  side  of  human  nature  keeps  coming 
to  the  surface.  Such  a  generalization  does 
not  evade  the  fact  that  impracticable  men 
like  John  Eliot  are  numbered  with  the  par 
sons.  We  are  not  to  be  intimidated  by  such 
generosity  as  he  manifested  when  carrying 
his  salary  in  a  knotted  handkerchief,  and 
trying  to  untie  it  in  order  to  help  a  poor,  sick 
woman,  he  finally  gave  it  all  to  her,  saying, 
"  I  believe  the  Lord  designs  it  all  for  you. " 

Unpractical  men  are  not  peculiar  to  any 
profession  or  sphere  of  activity.  They  are 
found  on  all  sides.  The  ministry  must  have 
its  proportion.  But  it  is  certain  that  the 
colonial  parson,  in  his  typical  presentment, 
was  eminently  practical.  He  was  able  to  ad- 


of  New  England  203 

just  himself  to  circumstances  with  a  grace 
and  shrewdness  worthy  the  closest  imitation. 
Quoting  a  phrase  from  Crockett,  the  parson 
was  one  who  had  "  a  good  judgment  on  the 
secularities. "  To  be  sure,  when  such  a  state 
ment  is  made  we  do  not  forget  the  help 
which  came  to  him  through  his  tactful  and 
devoted  wife.  Much  of  the  credit  given  to 
the  minister  belongs  to  the  helpmeet.  But 
as  man  and  wife  are  one,  the  glory  of  part 
nership  is  not  diminished  when  the  name  of 
the  husband  alone  is  used,  and  liberty  is 
given  to  infer  that  the  wise  companion  was 
the  dominant  factor  in  management. 

That  the  person  was  a  spiritual  man  would 
be  taken  for  granted  by  many  people,  but 
reports  have  been  circulated  to  the  effect 
that  his  spirituality  was  a  decadent  thing. 
Taking  into  account  the  fact  that  he  battled 
with  circumstances  such  that  spiritual  life 
was  necessarily  hampered;  taking  also  into 


204         The  Colonial  Parson 

account  the  fact  that  he  was  cumbered  with 
many  cares  both  public  and  private,  political 
and  religious,  we  are  surprised  how  large  a 
proportion  of  time  and  how  great  a  strength 
of  life  was  given  to  things  spiritual.  There 
were  periods  when  piety  appeared  at  a  dis 
count.  Social  reactions  set  in  and  gave  tone 
to  church  and  state.  This  is  simply  history 
repeating  itself. 

When  Whitfield  appeared,  grave  charges 
were  made  against  the  parsons  and  strange 
scenes  were  enacted  in  the  colonies.  But  a 
dispassionate  examination  of  the  subject 
shows  that  men  good  and  true  stood  firm  for 
honest  and  worthy  convictions.  The  work 
of  the  ministry  was  continued  in  the  estab 
lished  churches  with  fidelity  and  consecra 
tion.  Final  results  show  that  much  of  the 
criticism  offered  upon  the  parson  during  this 
period  was  mistaken  and  cruel.  While  the 
contention  between  the  "  New  Lights"  and 


of  New  England  205 

"  Old  Lights"  often  savored  of  injustice,  mis 
interpretation,  and  bigotry,  yet  the  pure  light 
of  the  divine  life  was  perpetually  manifest 
ing  itself  in  the  hearts  of  men  irrespective 
of  party.  The  parson  passed  through  the 
scourge  of  criticism  and  anathema  on  the  one 
side  and  the  other  to  his  purification  and  en 
largement.  He  was  a  spiritual  man,  living 
in  close  fellowship  with  his  Master,  the  chan 
nel  of  great,  vital  impulses  flowing  into  the 
hearts  of  earnest  men. 

This  composite  colonial  parson  also  sets 
forth  in  vigorous  form  the  physical  and  the 
intellectual  nature.  It  has  been  said  by 
others  than  Mr.  Beecher  that  when  parents 
had  a  sickly  boy  here  in  New  England,  one 
not  suited  to  hard  work  or  lively  enterprise, 
he  was  put  into  the  ministry.  Now  such  a 
statement  may  be  made  as  a  sort  of  pleas 
antry,  and  it  is  often  true  that  the  thought 
ful,  studious  child  seems  possessed  of  a  frail 


2o6         The  Colonial  Parson 

constitution,  but  when  it  comes  to  an  ac 
curate  statement  of  the  case,  it  must  be  said 
that  the  New  England  parson  was  a  man  of 
sturdy  frame,  impressive  figure,  command 
ing  mien,  abounding  health,  and  magnificent 
vitality.  Men  like  Dr.  Hopkins  and  Dr. 
Emmons,  tall,  large,  and  robust,  were  com 
mon  individuals  among  the  parsons. 

Things  conduced  to  an  athletic  form  of 
ministerial  life.  It  was  pioneer  experience 
that  featured  the  colonies.  The  parsons 
were  just  as  much  a  part  of  such  discipline 
as  any  other  member  of  the  fraternity.  The 
New  England  parson  did  not  ride  to  the 
hunt  like  his  brother,  the  English  clergyman 
of  Virginia,  but  he  went  up  and  down  his 
parish  on  horseback  or  afoot,  he  split  more 
or  less  of  the  immense  quantities  of  firewood 
which  he  burned,  he  planted  apple-trees  and 
gathered  the  fruit,  he  took  care  of  the  gar 
den  and  managed  his  farm,  he  engaged  in  all 


of  New  England  207 

sorts  of  manly  exercises  peculiar  to  the  life 
about  him.  He  retired  to  rest  at  an  early 
hour,  for  it  was  too  cold  in  winter  for  him  to 
read  and  study  at  night  with  any  comfort. 
When  summer  came  he  was  compelled  to 
share  out-of-door  labors  to  such  extent  that 
he  likewise  sought  an  early  bed.  Then  his 
fare  was  simple,  hearty,  and  healthful. 
Eggs,  milk,  fruit,  vegetables,  fish,  poultry, 
corn,  rye,  and  other  common,  nourishing 
foods,  these  gave  him  bone,  sinew,  muscle, 
and  blood  in  abundance.  As  a  result  these 
old  parsons  were  a  remarkably  vigorous  class 
of  men.  They  endured  all  sorts  of  strain  and 
pressure.  They  could  study  twelve  consecu 
tive  hours  when  the  opportunity  came,  for 
the  reason  that  a  good  many  other  hours  had 
been  spent  in  the  open  air  walking,  fishing, 
planting,  riding,  harvesting,  or  attending  to 
similar  activities.  There  was  nothing  weak, 
frail,  sickly,  effeminate,  or  enervated  about 


208         The  Colonial  Parson 

the  average  parson  of  colonial  days.  When 
occasion  presented  he  was  perfectly  com 
petent  to  go  into  the  field,  as  did  Mr. 
Humphrey,  and  cradle  not  only  the  ripe 
grain  but  the  soul  of  the  sinful  laborer  so 
that  both  were  successfully  harvested. 

The  intellectual  life  is  that  phase  of  his 
character  which  has  probably  made  the  deep 
est  impression  upon  men.  The  seed-corn  of 
university  graduates  originally  planted  in 
New  England  was  bound  to  multiply.  Con 
ditions  were  really  favorable  to  such  increase 
and  expansion;  soil  and  climate  happily 
combined  with  native  bent  and  prevalent 
ideal.  So  the  parson  became  pre-eminently 
an  intellectual  minister.  Any  other  kind  of 
a  man  failed  to  meet  the  common  demands 
of  life. 

The  pulpit  speedily  took  the  lead  in  all 
mental  activity.  Newspapers  were  un 
known  or  few  and  meagre.  Books  being 


of  New  England  209 

rare  possessions  and  housed  generally  by  the 
minister,  he  was  natually  the  man  to  bring 
books  into  the  service  of  his  people.  This 
was  not  done  so  much  by  their  circulation  as 
it  was  by  his  re-statement  of  their  contents 
from  the  pulpit.  It  came  nigh  to  being  an 
intellectual  imperialism.  The  people  were 
taught  to  think.  Habits  of  close,  logical  rea 
soning  prevailed.  But  it  was  the  parson  that 
lived  among  books  and  directed  the  general 
current  of  thought. 

There  is  something  of  charm  and  glory 
about  this  condition  of  things,  for  these 
parsons  did  not  use  their  privileges  with  any 
selfish  and  narrow  intent.  They  were  for 
the  times  broad-minded,  and  they  sought 
not  personal  but  general  interests.  The 
thinking  that  has  been  characteristic  of  life 
in  New  England  during  the  later  generations 
traces  its  original  impulse  to  the  generous 

and  fruitful  thought-life  which  marked  the 
14 


210        The  Colonial  Parson 

colonial  parson.  It  was  foreordained  that 
this  servant  of  the  people  should  become  a 
prime  source  of  intellectual  power. 

We  therefore  observe  that  he  conducted 
himself  with  singular  discretion  and  success 
in  the  various  spheres  of  influence  and  ser 
vice.  Strong  in  body  and  mind,  compelled 
to  be  practical  and  disciplined  into  spiritual 
ity,  the  colonial  parson  was  an  excellent  ex 
ample  of  an  all-around  man.  As  a  farmer 
he  did  well  enough  to  eke  out  his  living  with 
the  products  of  his  glebe  land.  When  cities 
grew  and  large  towns  sought  him,  there 
was  less  opportunity  for  the  parson  to  share 
this  delightful  pastime.  But  if  he  did  not 
raise  his  own  potatoes  and  apples,  the  salary 
was  often  paid  in  these  necessary  commod 
ities,  and  as  it  often  occurred  that  large 
quantities  of  such  produce  came  to  him  by 
way  of  payment,  he  was  by  sheer  necessity 
made  a  trader. 


of  New  England  211 

This  experience  trained  his  commercial 
faculties.  Undoubtedly  that  disposition  for 
good  bargains  characteristic  of  many  a  par 
son's  descendants  traces  its  explanation  to 
this  early  fact.  The  ministers  of  later  years 
may  not  be  famous  for  their  business  capac 
ity  (although  we  believe  that  they  average 
well  in  this  respect  with  men  in  general),  but 
it  is  certain  that  the  colonial  parson  was 
one  quite  capable  of  watching  his  own  in 
terests.  It  is  true  that  he  occasionally  sub 
mitted  to  imposition,  but  he  was  wise  enough 
to  take  the  course  which  brought  him,  as  a 
rule,  ultimate  credit. 

As  a  scholar  he  was  an  honor  to  any  land. 
His  labors  were  tireless  in  behalf  of  educa 
tion.  While  the  means  of  study  were  quite 
limited,  he  still  devoted  himself  with  note 
worthy  zeal  to  the  mastery  of  such  intellect 
ual  tasks  as  came  within  his  sphere.  There 
resulted  an  acumen,  an  insight,  a  subtlety, 


212         The  Colonial  Parson 

and  a  vigor  which  command  universal  ad 
miration.  While  his  original  contributions 
to  scholarship  may  have  been  meagre,  yet  the 
inspiration  of  his  example  and  the  interest 
excited  by  his  enthusiasm  served  the  most 
important  purposes  by  way  of  shaping  the 
life  of  New  England.  The  parson  was  the 
acknowledged  scholar  and  educator  of  the 
land.  He  was  faithful  to  the  opportunities 
which  came  to  him,  and  fostered  a  love  of 
study  in  the  home  and  community  at  the 
same  time  that  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  en 
rich  the  common  fund  of  knowledge  and 
intelligence. 

When  it  comes  to  statesmanship,  this  par 
son  must  receive  our  common  homage.  His 
services  were  great  in  what  he  directly  and 
indirectly  wrought  or  suggested.  Arroga 
ting  to  himself  no  arbitrary  powers,  seeking 
with  single-heartedness  the  good  of  his  peo 
ple,  he  became  on  many  great  occasions  the 


of  New  England  213 

dominant  political  force.  Questions  of  state 
craft  were  as  familiar  to  him  as  questions  of 
church  order.  He  was  often  the  most  im 
portant  factor  in  public  events.  It  was  a 
condition  of  things  which  he  did  not  seek. 
Circumstances  shaped  life  into  such  form, 
but  through  all  the  varied  changes  he  re 
tained  his  integrity  of  spirit,  never  seeking 
to  take  advantage  of  his  position,  always 
pressing  with  disinterested  purpose  toward 
such  issues  as  he  deemed  wisest  and  best. 
He  was  a  statesman.  His  political  services 
do  him  honor.  The  names  of  many  parsons 
are  linked  forever  with  those  great  state 
movements  which  to-day  command  our  grat 
itude  and  reverence. 

The  books  of  these  first  generations  have 
the  parson's  name  on  the  title-page  in  the 
majority  of  cases.  He  constituted  the  liter 
ary  class  of  his  times.  A  few  other  writers 
did  some  work  in  the  limited  department  of 


214         The  Colonial  Parson 

letters,  but  the  number  is  small.  While  the 
results  of  literary  handicraft  during  the 
period  before  the  Revolution  are  trivial 
and  scarce  worth  mention,  yet  they  have  an 
historical  value,  and  they  make  the  humble, 
important  beginnings  from  which  proceed 
the  fine,  precious  workmanship  of  the  suc 
ceeding  ages.  The  parson's  love  of  books 
and  devotion  to  the  intellectual  life  signified 
the  noble  company  of  poets,  historians,  and 
literary  artists  that  are  to-day  New  Eng 
land's  pride  and  glory. 

When  one  of  these  book-loving  ministers 
in  Massachusetts  died  leaving  a  young  son 
and  an  excellect  library,  a  Connecticut  pas 
tor  (in  Stratford)  offered  to  give  the  orphan 
a  home  and  contribute  to  his  education  in 
exchange  for  the  use  of  his  library.  The 
arrangement  was  consummated  and  proved 
satisfactory. 

This  incident  is  matched   by  another  of 


of  New  England  215 

different  character.  A  deceased  parson  left 
a  valuable  library  to  his  widow.  An  ambi- 
ticms  minister  desired  to  purchase  the  books. 
When  it  came  to  the  question  of  price,  the 
widow  informed  the  student  that  he  might 
have  the  library  on  condition  that  he  took 
her  with  it  The  price  being  set  and  some 
time  passed  in  an  agreeable  and  varied  con 
sideration  of  the  same,  the  young  man  came 
into  possession  of  the  two  prizes  and  there 
after  lived  in  great  enjoyment  of  his  bargain. 

With  this  love  of  books  there  companied 
the  impulse  to  make  books.  The  reading 
and  the  writing  of  books  on  the  part  of  the 
parson  quickened  an  impulse  which  com 
municated  itself  to  society  about  him. 

The  parson  was  pre-eminently  a  preacher. 
His  pulpit  was  the  channel  through  which 
flowed  the  strength  of  his  heart  and  mind. 
Contrast  the  custom  of  New  England  with 
the  customs  of  other  colonies  or  peoples  dur- 


216        The  Colonial  Parson 

ing  this  formative  period,  and  one  is  imme 
diately  impressed  with  the  uniqueness  of  this 
section  in  regard  to  the  influence  of  the  pul 
pit  over  life.  The  people  being  character 
ized  with  peculiar  strength  of  intellect, 
it  was  inevitable  that  their  preachers  would 
manifest  a  corresponding  energy  and  power. 
Anything  less  than  such  mental  leadership 
and  aggressiveness  must  of  necessity  have 
been  short-lived  and  have  proved  an  igno 
minious  failure. 

The  parson  was  a  thinker,  a  logician,  a 
scholar,  a  writer  that  destiny  placed  in  the 
pulpit.  He  did  not  have  a  class-room  in 
which  to  instruct.  The  newspaper  did  not 
afford  him  an  outlet  for  ideas.  The  lyceum 
had  not  yet  been  devised.  The  opportuni 
ties  for  conversation  were  restricted.  So  he 
gave  the  strength  of  his  mind  unto  pulpit 
work.  He  fed  the  people  with  strong  meat. 
They  received  it  in  large  quantities.  The 


of  New  England  217 

week  was  required  for  its  proper  diges 
tion. 

Graces  of  oratory  were  not  especially  em 
phasized.  It  was  solid  matter  of  thought 
that  commended  itself  to  the  congregation. 
A  young  man  preaching  before  Dr.  Emmons 
observed  later  to  him,  "  I  hope  I  did  not 
weary  you  by  the  length  of  my  sermon;" 
and  Doctor  Emmons  replied,  "  No,  nor  by 
its  depth  either;"  a  reply  which  points  to  the 
characteristic  demand  of  the  early  days. 
Neither  length  nor  depth  wearied  people. 
Their  preachers  were  trained  so  that  they 
generally  showed  themselves  satisfactory  in 
both  respects.  On  the  organization  of  the 
church  at  Woburn  the  minister  is  said  to 
"have  continued  in  prayer  and  preaching 
about  four  or  five  hours. " 

The  colonial  parson  was  also  the  gentle 
man  of  his  parish.  He  came  of  a  good  fam 
ily.  He  took  first  stand  as  a  college  gradu- 


218         The  Colonial  Parson 

ate.  He  was  also  conversant  with  the 
amenities  of  life  and  ranked  well  with  the 
men  that  constituted  the  superior  class  in 
the  colony.  It  is  true  that  many  incidents 
are  told  which  put  the  parson  in  the  light  of 
an  ill-bred  man,  but  such  cases  are  isolated 
so  that  they  do  not  break  the  force  of  our 
statement. 

The  comparison  between  the  parson  of 
New  England  and  the  parson  of  some  other 
lands  during  the  period  results  favorably  to 
the  type  which  prevailed  on  these  shores. 
It  is  not  that  our  parson  made  much  of  dress, 
although  he  was  generally  the  well-dressed 
man  of  the  community;  it  is  not  that  he 
cultivated  exclusiveness  or  felt  that  he  was 
better  clay  than  many  of  his  neighbors. 
But  innate  spirit,  social  opportunities,  ac 
knowledged  station,  familiarity  with  books, 
manners,  travellers,  the  conditions  of  life 
peculiar  to  his  profession  at  the  time  in  New 


of  New  England  219 

England,    these    things   contributed   to  his 
character  of  gentleman. 

When  it  came  to  an  occasion  of  social  in 
tercourse,  the  parson  was  present,  not  so 
much  because  he  was  a  minister,  as  by  rea 
son  of  the  fact  that  he  was  an  interesting, 
well-informed,  agreeable  gentleman.  The 
clerical  character  did  not  obtrude  itself  upon 
the  public,  but  on  the  other  hand  the  intelli 
gent  and  companionable  man  was  made 
conspicuous,  and  considered  indispensable. 
While  he  did  not  think  to  become  any  Sir 
Charles  Grandison,  yet  he  was  the  popular 
model  of  gentlemanliness ;  the  proprieties 
and  the  courtesies  of  life  were  put  into  his 
keeping ;  he  bore  himself  with  a  grave  and 
dignified  politeness,  a  kind  and  faithful 
thoughtfulness  of  others,  a  gracious  and 
commanding  mien  which  signified  the  very 
spirit  and  beauty  of  royal  Christian  man 
hood. 


220         The  Colonial  Parson 

The  colonial  parson  was  undeniably  the 
"wit"  of  the  period,  and  his  "mots"  have 
been  handed  down  to  the  generations  and  re 
juvenated  on  all  occasions.  Even  John  Ran 
dolph  dared  quote  from  him  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  for  it  was  Dr.  Joseph 
Lathrop  who,  when  asked  by  a  parishioner 
if  he  had  any  religion,  replied,  "None  to 
speak  of." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  discover  men  with 
brighter  intellects  than  some  of  the  Mathers 
or  Doctor  Byles  or  George  Phillips.  Had  it 
been  a  day  for  after-dinner  speeches,  these 
men  and  many  of  their  brethren  would  have 
gone  down  to  fame,  and  been  remembered 
by  innumerable  off-hand  addresses  scintil- 
lant  with  wit  and  humor. 

But  this  adaptability  was  manifest  in  every 
hour  of  need.  Many  of  the  parishes  were 
compelled  to  pass  years  without  the  help  of 
a  practising  physician.  The  parson  was 


of  New  England  221 

equal  to  the  emergency.  What  more  natural 
than  that  the  people  should  turn  to  him  in 
case  physic  was  needed?  So  he  ministered 
to  their  bodies  as  well  as  their  souls.  Eli 
jah  Wheeler,  of  Great  Barrington,  both 
preached  and  practised  among  his  people. 
Lyman  Hall  served  in  the  pulpit  for  a  brief 
season,  then  he  took  to  medicine.  Jared 
Eliot,  of  Guilford,  grandson  of  John  Eliot, 
was  "  for  many  years  the  conspicuous  minis 
ter  of  the  town  of  Guilford,  whose  great 
abilities  as  a  divine,  a  politician,  and  a  phy 
sician  were  justly  admired,  not  only  among 
his  own  people,  but  throughout  the  whole 
colony."  One  authority  says:  "He  was  un 
doubtedly  the  first  physician  in  his  day  in 
Connecticut  and  was  the  last  clerical  phy 
sician  of  eminence,  probably  in  New  Eng 
land. "  Two  sons  became  physicians. 

It  was  not  only  a  fashion  with  many  par 
sons  to  have  more  or  less  to  do  with  medicine 


222         The  Colonial  Parson 

themselves,  but  they  had  a  way  of  raising 
sons  to  serve  as  doctors  of  medicine.  Occa 
sionally  a  minister  gave  up  preaching  and 
devoted  all  his  time  to  the  ills  of  the  flesh. 
John  Bulkly  pursued  this  course,  and  the 
same  might  be  said  at  a  later  period  in  re 
spect  to  the  ministry  and  the  law. 

During  the  early  period  of  New  England 
history  the  legal  profession  was  disapproved. 
When  people  had  quarrels  to  settle  they 
went  to  the  minister,  or  the  minister  came 
to  them,  as  did  John  Hancock,  of  Lexington. 
"  Now,  Reuben  and  Joseph,  your  line  runs 
there  and  there  let  it  run  forever.  That  is 
your  land,  Joseph,  and  that  is  your  land, 
Reuben ;  and  let  us  have  no  more  quarrel 
ling  about  this  matter."  So  Parson  Han 
cock  settled  a  misunderstanding  between 
two  of  his  parishioners.  But  lawyers  finally 
were  suffered  to  dwell  in  the  colonies,  and 
it  was  observed  that  the  parsons  shared  in 


of  New  England  223 

the  conduct  of  legal  business,  combining  it 
with  the  ministry  or  demitting  the  ministry 
and  giving  themselves  wholly  to  the  law,  or 
training  sons  into  the  unpopular  profes 
sion. 

When  President  Stiles  renounced  the  law 
and  became  a  preacher,  it  was  observed  that 
few  men  imitate  such  an  example,  although 
there  were  two  other  lawyers  in  Connecticut 
who  pursued  that  very  course  the  same  year 
that  Dr.  Stiles  did.  The  change  was  gener 
ally  from  the  ministry  into  the  law.  When 
Mr.  Wales  was  asked  why  he  changed  to  the 
lav/,  he  replied  by  a  quotation  from  Virgil  : 


"Facilis  descen 
Sed  revocare  gradum  superasque  evadere  ad  auras.  . 
Hoc  opus,  hie  labor  est." 

As  the  colonial  parson  of  New  England 
looks  into  our  eyes  do  we  not  feel  the  touch 
of  his  great  personality? 


'ir 


224         Tbe  Colonial  Parson 

"Wide  was  his  parish,  and  houses  far  asunder; 
But  he  ne  lafte  not  for  rain  ne  thunder, 
In  sickness  nor  in  mischief  to  visit 
The  farthest  in  his  parish,  much  and  lite, 
Upon  his  feet  and  in  his  hand  a  staff. 
This  noble  ensample  to  his  sheep  he  yaf, 
That  first  he  wrought  and  afterward  he  taught; 
Out  of  the  Gospel  he  the  wordes  caught, 
And  this  figure  he  added  eke  thereto 
That  if  gold  ruste,  what  shall  iron  do  ?" 

How  manifold  are  the  offices  this  parson 
fills,  the  tasks  he  performs,  the  influences  he 
exerts,  the  blessings  he  commands!  When 
one  reads  concerning  the  many-sided  minis 
try  of  these  honored  men ;  their  dutifulness 
in  church  and  state,  in  public  and  private,  in 
health  and  sickness,  in  prosperity  and  ad 
versity  ;  when  one  measures  the  richness  and 
nobility  of  their  manhood,  the  shrewd  adjust 
ment  of  powers  to  circumstances,  the  pervad 
ing  authority  of  consecrated  and  self-deny 
ing  worth — it  is  then  that  one  asks  justice 
and  appreciation  for  them.  The  parson  was 


of  New  England  225 

a  true,  brave,  great,  wise,  loving,  and  be 
loved  man.  The  gentler  light  of  his  modest 
and  loyal  home-life  reveals  him  as  the  pure 
spirit  instinct  with  high  and  noble  sentiments. 
The  scholasticism,  the  austerity,  the  stateli- 
ness,  the  reserve  which  have  come  to  domi 
nate  our  conceptions  of  him  retire  into  the 
background  where  they  belong;  while  the 
sweeter  traits  of  character  and  the  brighter 
phases  of  experience  appear  in  growing 
strength  and  reclaimed  beauty. 

We  will  therefore  think  upon  the  colonial 
parson  with  infinite  tenderness  and  grati 
tude.  We  will  rejoice  in  his  service  for 
liberty,  righteousness,  manhood.  We  will 
treasure  ^with  all  loyalty  of  affectionate  re 
membrance  his  splendid  contributions  to  the 
material,  intellectual,  social,  and  moral  ad 
vancement  of  this  nation.  We  will  give  him 
a  lofty  niche  in  the  temple  of  fame,  and 

render  him  the   homage  that  is  due  such 
15 


226         The  Colonial  Parson 

unique  and  masterful  service  in  behalf  of 
humanity. 

"  No  power  can  die  that  ever  wrought  for  Truth ; 

Thereby  a  law  of  Nature  it  became, 
And  lives  un withered  in  its  sinewy  youth, 
When  he  who  called  it  forth  is  but  a  name." 


3RSITY  O1 


;  RABI 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


20Nov'62GR 

REC'D  LJ 

:NOV^tj^  1 

OCT2  «V4 

5;an'63GRX 

JftNS    1963 

• 
<-rf 

,  cS^ 

.       • 

\JO^    N^ 

Ci  ^ 

&? 

LD  21A-50m-3,'62 
(C7097slO)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


YB  36637 


,.  t> 
101949 


